Skyrim Book III: Nesta
by gypsybee09
Summary: Nesta, a young Altmer, fled Aldmeris with her siblings to escape imprisonment. After arriving in Skyrim, she finds herself lost and alone, fleeing a dragon. Neither a warrior nor a mage, Nesta had never really known what path her life would follow, but she was a survivor. Follow her on her quest for her family as she discovers a place where her talents are more than appreciated.
1. All Through the Night

Chapter One: All Through the Night (Sundas, 17th of Last Seed; Morndas, 18th of Last Seed)

The woman watched helplessly as her unconscious sister was practically tossed into the back of a wagon, her hands bound behind her back. Why was she a prisoner? Were the Thalmor behind this?

The light was fading. It would be dark soon. They'd barely set up their camp, and she had no idea where her other sisters and brother had disappeared to in the fray. She knew Aerenwen was the only one who had been captured, but she realized there was chance any of the others could've been killed.

She had climbed a tree, stayed in the shadows, to avoid detection and avoid getting mixed up in the fighting. It looked like Aerenwen hadn't been so lucky.

The carriages began moving, rolling forward through the snow covered ground. She followed, quietly, sneaking behind them. Tracking, sneaking, stealthiness . . . they were all skills of hers. Her father had often joked that she'd do best if she made a career of thievery, and although she saw nothing wrong with that herself, she knew he would never seriously condone that lifestyle. His moral compass was too strong. Hers, however, not so much . . . it was something she and her sister, Elain, had in common as opposed to the rest of their family.

Through the night, she followed, avoiding detection, ignoring the cold and the hunger pains that caused her stomach to roll angrily. The sun rose, and now she could see her sister again, still unconscious, slouched over on the bench on the side of the carriage. Was she even alive?

From a distance, the woman saw her sister finally stir. Her eyes were opened, and she seemed to be speaking to one of her fellow prisoners. She tried to think of any way she could get Aerenwen's attention, to let her know she wasn't alone, that she would, somehow, get her out of this, but there was no way of doing so without alerting the rest of the caravan, Imperial soldiers included.

A fortified town came into view, and the wagons disappeared inside its gate. The heavy wooden doors closing tightly behind them and watched over by several guards. She knew there was no way she could get in without speaking to them. Perhaps she could feign being lost, ask if there was an inn inside the walls where she could get a decent meal and some rest before continuing on her journey. . . it sounded believable, but then what?

They had successfully broken their brother out of Thalmor custody, but that had been all five sisters working together. Aerenwen was the weapons expert and warrior. She was better with a sword than anyone else her sister knew. She, herself, could barely lift one of the heavy metal things let alone wield it. The best she could do in hand-to-hand combat was a dagger. Mari was the mage. Sure, they all knew a few spells. It was hard not to pick up a few tricks over the years when your mother was a master at the arts of magicka and alchemy, and you were of the Altmer race, born with a naturally affinity for those sorts of things. However, it had never interested her much. She'd grow bored with all the concentration involved, so her knowledge consisted of some restoration magic and a few very basic destruction spells. Without Mari, her magic was nearly useless in such a feat. Elain was the cold-blooded killer of the family. Although the rest of them were more than capable of taking a life when it meant their own survival, it was something they avoided and always carried with them. Elain didn't seem to have that problem. Their mother had always said she had a darkness within her. Needless to say, during their adventure thus far, Elain had shed the most blood. She was ruthless. Then there was Glenys, the brains of the family. All of the siblings had above-average intelligence and excelled in their various areas, but Glenys outshone them all when it came to smarts. Her photographic memory and lightning fast reasoning skills made her a fountain of knowledge, and she could've sat there, stared at the walled community for a few moments, and had a plan of entry just like that. Without her sisters' help, she just knew there was no way her talents alone were going to free Aerenwen.

Her only hope was to convince the Imperials that Aerenwen's arrest had been a mistake, that she didn't belong with those other prisoners. It was possible. She'd always been told she had the ability to talk anyone into anything, but if the Thalmor were involved . . . well, then her sister's capture wouldn't have been a mistake, and there was an excellent chance she would find herself a prisoner behind those walls as well.

The Altmer woman had sat there, perched on a large boulder, feet so cold in the snow they were numb, thinking over all of this and all of her options for quite some time when a terrible roar echoed from the mountains. She looked toward the sound, alarmed, and her blonde eyebrows slowly raised as a great, winged beast flew down toward the town. As it flew, flames shot from its mouth and fireballs rained down from the now overcast sky.

A dragon!

She didn't know how it was possible, but there it was. All those years her grandmother had spoken of the return of dragons like it was something she knew would happen someday, they had never believed her. They attributed it to an old elf who was tired of this world and let her imagination run away with her.

"Nesta, you'll see someday. Mark my words. The sky will fill with dragons again, just as it was in days gone by," she had told her. "Aerenwen will be important. You all will. I've seen it."

Nesta laughed dryly. "Crazy old Nan was right, after all."

She watched as the dragon roared and swooped over the town, causing the destruction of everything in its path. Nesta was terrified. She had no idea where Aerenwen was nor how she would survive this attack, and she knew there was nothing she could do. She'd been worried about a few soldiers before. With a dragon thrown into the mix, she felt completely useless.

"I'm sorry, sister," she said as she stood, staring at the plumes of smoke rising from the village and listening to the screams of terror.

"Nesta, you're such a coward," she whispered to herself.

Then she began to run.

 **Author's Note: Here is the start of Nesta's story. I will be posting six different stories (Skyrim Book I, Skyrim Book II, etc.), each following the lives of one of a group of siblings as they arrive in Skryim and follow different paths in the game. We will be following Nesta until the end of the month of Last Seed, then we will move on to the fourth sibling. If you haven't read the first parts of the stories following the first two siblings, Aerenwen and Mari, I have already posted them. Each story will exist independently, and it isn't necessary to read them all, nor does the order in which you do so matter much. But their tales will all eventually cross.**


	2. Ivarstead

Chapter Two: Ivarstead (Tirdas, 19th of Last Seed)

Nesta had fled through the night, following the stone road out of the snow-covered mountains into a forest of mostly birch trees. The air was warm as it often was in late summer, and just as the sun came up, she began to see signs of civilization.

It was early morning when she crossed the bridge into the small village located at the base of the tallest mountain she had ever seen. Ivarstead, she read on the sign. The first building she came to was an inn, The Vilemyr Inn. She had no coin for a room or food but thought, perhaps, the innkeeper could be helpful in finding some sort of employment in the small village.

"Good morning, welcome to the Vilemyr Inn. I am Wilhelm the innkeeper," a cheerful Nord man with blonde hair stated with a smile as Nesta approached the counter. "What can I get you?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Nesta replied, resting her hands on the counter and putting on her friendliest smile. "I'm just passing through and thought, perhaps, I'd spend a couple of days resting from my journey in your village, but I'm short on coin. Do you know of any employment in town?"

The man nodded. "Temba Wide-Arm is always looking for help at the lumber mill. She has one full-time employee, but they've got their hands full with the lumber itself and have a hard time keeping up with the firewood for their clients. I'm sure she'd pay good coin if you were willing to split wood for a few hours. There's also Fellstar Farm. They're beginning the harvest season, and Jofthar usually hires on some temporary help for that. I suppose it all depends on what it is you're looking for. Quickest coin would be the mill. The farm would be a more steady income for a few weeks at least."

"Thank you," Nesta answered with a grin. "How much do you charge to rent a room?"

"Ten septims a night," Wilhelm replied, "or I offer a deal of fifty septims if you rent for a whole week."

"Great. Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be back."

"Good luck!"

* * *

Nesta headed for the mill first. If she could spend the day chopping wood, it would be hard work, but she knew it would pay well. She wished to reserve a room for the week and get some food, and then, perhaps, the following day she would look into securing employment at the farm for harvest season.

A Bosmer man greeted her as she entered the yard of the lumbermill.

"Good morning, friend!" he called out with a wave. "What I can do for you on this fine day?"

Nesta smiled in return. It was hard not to smile at someone with such a cheerful disposition. "Are you always in such a good mood?" she asked.

He chuckled. "My father once told me, 'Gwilin, you have the whole world before you. Life is waiting. Go out and experience it'. . . so I took his advice and ended up here. This life may not look like much to some, but I'm content and make the best of all I've got. Isn't that all that matters?"

"I suppose so," Nesta replied.

"I hope life treats you as well as it has me," the Bosmer said with a smile. "Now what I can do for you?"

"I was looking for work while I'm in town, and Wilhelm told me the mill owner will pay me for splitting some firewood."

He nodded. "That she will. We're a bit behind. I'll warn you though, Miss Temba is awfully riled up about the bear problem. She's a bit grouchy because of it. You'll find her up by the log splitter."

Nesta walked up the ramp into the covered area where timber was split and sawed into boards. A large, muscular Nord woman heaved some timber that had been freshly cut into a pile nearby. "Excuse me!" the Altmer called out, hoping to get the woman's attention over the churning of the loud blade.

She looked up, her face set in a frown that, due to the wrinkles on her brow and around her mouth, appeared to be her usual expression. "May I help you?" she asked after pulling the lever to shut off the blade.

"I'm passing through town, and Wilhelm told me I might be able to earn some coin for you splitting wood while I'm here," Nesta replied.

The woman nodded, approaching her and shaking her hand. "Name's Temba Wide-Arm. I run this mill. You are?"

"Nesta."

"Well, Nesta, what brings you to our village? Are you traveling to High Hrothgar?"

"I don't know what that is," Nesta replied honestly.

"It's a monastery at the top of this mountain," Temba replied, nodding over her shoulder. "A lot of folks make the pilgrimage up the 7,000 steps to it, meditating on some emblems. All religious hogwash if you ask me, but it's really the only reason we ever see strangers in town."

"I'm just passing through," Nesta told her. "I'm traveling north, but I'm a bit lost to be honest. I stumbled upon this village quite by accident, but since I'm short on coin and tired from my travel, I thought I'd stay a while if I could find some work."

"I don't have a lot, but I'll pay you 100 septims if you spend the afternoon splitting that pile of firewood for me," Temba replied, motioning to a large stack of short logs on the ground. "I don't have the time to keep up. These damn bears are ruining my business."

"How are bears affecting your business?" Nesta wondered.

"Have you ever seen what a bear does to the trees?"

She shook her head.

"They scratch them all up," Temba replied exasperatedly. "I don't know if they're marking their territory or sharpening their claws or what, but it basically ruins the trees from being turned into decent-looking lumber for building. It's fine for firewood, but no one wants their floors and walls covered with claw marks. The bear population is so high in The Rift, we're having to spend extra time just searching for untouched trees. It's infuriating. I swear, if I hadn't put every last one of my coins into this damn mill, I would've packed up and left Ivarstead years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nesta replied, not really sure what else to say after the woman had finished her rant.

Temba shrugged. "Not much to be done about it. I appealed to the Jarl to start some sort of bear hunting contest or something. I'm not heartless, I don't want to wipe them out, but there's just too many of them. But with the war, the folks in charge just aren't worried about bears and their impact on local businesses. I'll tell ya though, if you happen to kill any in your travels, I'll pay good money for their pelts."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nesta replied. "What war?"

"Have you been under a log?!" the woman exclaimed. "The civil war in Skyrim!"

"I've only been in Skyrim for a few days," she answered.

"Ah, I see. Well, Ulfric and his Stormcloak rebels are causing quite the ruckus against the Thalmor-sympathizing Empire. I can't say that I blame them," Temba explained. "We've been pretty untouched by the war here in Ivarstead so far, but it's causing a lot of troubles elsewhere in Skyrim."

Nesta realized that must have been the conflict she and her siblings had stumbled upon and wondered if Thalmor were truly behind her sister's capture or if the Imperials got her confused with the other rebels they were arresting.

She spent the afternoon splitting wood and finished the pile just as the sky was beginning to darken slightly. Temba happily handed over a bag of 100 septims, and Nesta returned to the inn which had become a bustling place as the town's citizens socialized and drank after a long day of working and surviving. Wilhelm happily accepted Nesta's payment for a week's stay and served her the day's special, tomato soup, fresh bread, and grilled leaks. She ordered a bottle of Nord Mead. Although she much preferred wine, the mead was cheaper and until she'd secured steady employment, she wanted to make her coin last.

Jofthar, the owner of the farm Wilhelm had spoken of earlier, was enjoying a few flagons of mead himself. Wilhelm introduced the two, and Jofthar offered Nesta two weeks' employment, helping with the first harvest. She accepted his offer. It looked like she'd be in the small village for a time and took a moment to thank the divines for finding a source of food, shelter, and employment so quickly into her journey. She hoped her other siblings had the same luck.

 **Author's Note: And so Nesta has arrived in The Rift. Any guesses on what main questline her story will be following?**


	3. Shroud Hearth Barrow

Chapter 3: Shroud Hearth Barrow (Sundas, 24th of Last Seed)

It had been a week since Nesta had been separated from her siblings, and she'd fallen into a routine in Ivarstead.

Breakfast was included with the cost of her room at the inn, so it didn't cost her any extra coin. She usually ate with Lynly, the young woman who was hired as the inn's bard. Lynly had been cautious of the stranger and reserved, but after a few days, she had let her guard down a bit, and the two were developing a friendship. Lynly confided in Nesta that she was hiding in Ivarstead from her ex-fiance who had been abusive and threatened her life. She suspected he had killed her brother, and because the fiance came from an influential family, she hadn't known where she could go to find safety. She'd thought of Wilhelm, who had once served as a guard with her brother, and went to him. He'd hired her at the inn and promised to protect her. Nesta suspected Wilhelm was sweet on Lynly, but the woman was hesitant to start a relationship with anyone, something that was understandable given her past.

Nesta would then spend several hours working at Fellstar Farm. Jofthar was an unpleasant man, and she didn't converse much with him. He never had a positive thing to say about anyone or anything. Whether he was complaining about the pilgrims traveling through town to High Hrothgar or his neighbors, his daughter Fastred's dreamy nature, or his wife Boti's stubborness, he always found something to complain about. Why, the harvest at the farm was excellent, one of the best they'd seen in years, according to Boti. Yet Jofthar still found something to complain about that as well.

After working at the farm, Nesta had explored the town a bit, though that only took her the first afternoon, considering how small the town was. The guards were friendly and were apparently posted in the small village because of the high rate of bandits in the area since the start of the war. Gwilin was always a pleasure to talk to, and Klimmek, the town's merchant, was a kind gentleman. He fancied Fastred, and apparently, in the past, she'd entertained the idea of settling down with the merchant, although he was nearly as old as her father, but recently a man from Riften had been staying at the inn. Nesta had shared a few bottles of mead with the man, Bassianus, and she could see why he had caught the young woman's attention. He was very intelligent and well-traveled. He'd been born in Cyrodiil and had explored most of Tamriel as an intellectual rather than adventurer. He'd come to Ivarstead to make the pilgrimage up the 7,000 steps but had become so smitten with Fastred, he hadn't left for two months. Considering the fact that Fastred had a thirst for adventure and had no desire to continue living the life of a small village farmer's daughter, Bassianus seemed to be the perfect match for her. Yet Jofthar still had his heart set on his daughter marrying Klimmek. Fastred didn't want to let down her father nor hurt the kind man who attempted to court her, and Bassianus was afraid of the grouchy farmer, so no one would act. It was a frustrating situation to listen to. Nesta couldn't imagine actually having to be involved in it.

Then there was Narfi. Narfi was a man who lived alone in his parents old home across the river from the main part of town. The house was rundown and quite damaged from a fire several years before that had taken the life of Narfi's father. His mother had been sickly and died not long after, and then his sister had gone missing. He was alone in the world and mentally challenged. Speaking with him was like speaking to a small child, and Nesta quickly developed a soft spot for the man. Nearly every evening she bought extra dinner from Wilhelm and brought it to Narfi, joining him for the meal in the fading light at the edge of the Darkwater River. On warm evenings, they would soak their feet in the rushing water, and she found his childlike innocence refreshing.

After dark, Nesta would make sure Narfi was safe in his home, or what was left of it, before returning to the inn where she would share drinks and socialize with the new friends she was making before retiring for the night.

It was Sundas now, the only day everyone took off at Fellstar Farm. A day of rest. Nesta wasn't quite sure what to do with herself, and after enjoying breakfast with Lynly, she grew restless and decided she would explore the areas outside of town.

"Just stay away from the old barrow at the edge of town," Wilhelm warned. "It's haunted."

"Really?" Nesta wanted to know more.

"I've seen one of the spirit's with my very own eyes," the man replied. "When it looked at me, I swear it's eyes were burning through my very soul."

"The spirits don't bother the town though?"

"No, thank the divines. They seem to stick to the barrow. They're guarding some treasure or some long-dead chieftain, I'd imagine."

"Has anyone ever explored the barrow?" Nesta asked.

"There was one traveler a few years back," Wilhelm replied. "I don't remember his name, but he stayed here at the inn. Claimed to be an adventurer and set off to explore the barrow for some legendary treasure he'd heard of. Never saw him again. It wasn't long after that the spirits started showing up outside. I think his presence there angered them."

Treasure was the magic word, and Nesta grew excited when she began to imagine all that could be hidden in the ancient burial site. She pulled on the trousers and tunic she had purchased off Klimmek, preferring her mobility in those to what she had in the gray dress Boti had given her, and struck off for the barrow.

She'd made it through the entrance and past the iron door without seeing any spirits. It wasn't until she'd traveled down the steep, rotting spiral staircase that led to the first burial chamber that she saw anything.

A man appeared ahead of her. He glowed with a blue light around him, and his voice echoed with an otherworldly quality.

"Stay away!" the voice called.

"Screw you, ghosty," Nesta muttered. She crept quietly deeper into the barrow, following the ghost and keeping to the shadows. It was clear to her he thought he had scared the intruder away. She followed him to a chamber of the barrow that was set up with a table, an alchemy lab, and a bed roll. The ghost sat down at the table and took a drink from a flagon that sat there.

"Hmmm," Nesta thought. "Last I knew, spirits didn't need bed rolls or drinks."

She pulled her hunting bow off her back and a glass arrow from her quiver. Pulling back, she readied the arrow and fired, striking the man right in the neck. Blood began to spurt from the wound, and he fell over, dead. Slowly, the blue light around him faded, leaving a plain, very much mortal, Dunmer lying on the floor.

"Some spirit," Nesta commented, kicking the man to make sure he was dead and removing her arrow from his neck. It wasn't damaged, so she wiped it off and returned it to her quiver. The glass arrows fashioned in her father's blacksmith shop were better than any others she had ever used, and since he couldn't make any more, she didn't want to waste them.

Nesta looked around the room and found some vials of strange, glowing blue potion. Then she stumbled upon the Dunmer's journal. Wyndelius had been his name, and he was the adventurer Wilhelm had spoken of. He apparently couldn't figure out how to access the deepest portion of the barrow where the treasure he sought was supposedly hidden, kept mentioning some claw he couldn't find. He crafted a potion to make himself look like a spirit, fearing that his talk of the treasure at the inn would cause more people to explore the previously forgotten barrow and beat him to finding it. After some time of no progress and isolation, however, it seemed he began to lose his mind. He felt he had become a part of the barrow and needed to guard it. Nesta pocketed the journal and a few coins and some jewelry she found around the room and headed back the way she had come.

An iron door she opened revealed a fire trap. She waited for the flames to pass and opened the next door which lead to a long hall with a rounded stone ceiling. At the end was some sort of stone panel, obviously an ancient door of some sort. On it were rotating panels baring animal symbols. Try as she might, no combination caused the door to lower. There was a golden circle built into the door, and it looked as though something with three points could be inserted into it. Evidently, some sort of key was required to open the door along with the correct combination of animal symbols, and who knew where the key was? Lost to time, no doubt.

Disappointed, but willing to quit while she was ahead, unlike the dead Dunmer in the next room, Nesta returned to the surface and headed straight for the inn to tell Wilhelm what she had found.

"You're all dusty," Lynly commented, nose wrinkled in disgust, when Nesta returned to the inn.

Nesta laughed and walked toward the counter, pulling out the journal and setting it down.

"What's this?" Wilhelm asked.

"Wyndelius, was that the name of the adventurer you told me about?" she asked.

"Yes! That was it. Why? What have you done?"

Nesta chuckled. "This is his journal. Turns out you never saw him again because he never left the barrow. He couldn't find his treasure, though, so he cooked up a potion that made him look like a ghost to scare off anyone else that came looking for it. He was the spirit you saw. That's why no one ever saw it before he went down there because it wasn't actually haunted. After a time, he went a bit insane from the isolation, I'd say. You should read it. It's an interesting tale."

Wilhelm was shocked and picked the journal up to thumb through it. "I can't believe it. All this time we were being duped by some greedy Dunmer? Thank you, Nesta. We've all lived in fear of that barrow . . . that eventually it wouldn't be enough, and the spirits would find a way to invade our town. I suppose we can all live in peace now. I feel sort of silly for believing it."

"Don't feel that way, Wilhelm," Nesta replied with a soft smile. "There's a lot of magic in this world, and a haunted barrow wouldn't be the craziest thing I'd come across. This one just turned out not to be true. Doesn't mean you were foolish to believe it. Draugr and spirits are a thing, friend. Just be thankful they're not a thing you need to deal with."

Wilhelm smiled. "I know you don't like charity, so think of it as a gift." He pulled an ornate golden object out from beneath the counter. It was shaped like a dragon's claw and had sapphire-tipped talons. "I have no idea what this is or what it costs. It's been in my family here in Ivarstead for generations, but in truth, it just collects dust, and it's not something I'm interested in. I want you to have it. Think of it as a thank you for setting our minds at ease and a keepsake to remember your friends in Ivarstead when you wander off into the world."

Nesta smiled and took the claw from her friend, surprised by its heaviness. It must have been solid gold, and she began to daydream about the coin she could get for it in one of the cities. As she studied it, she noticed the animal emblems engraved on the back, and they reminded her of the moving panels on the stone door she couldn't open. She realized the three points of the talons would probably fit right into the three holes in the door. This was the key! All this time, the claw that Wyndelius thought was hidden somewhere in the barrow had been in Wilhelm's possession at the inn. She imagined an ancestor of his had been given the claw for safe-keeping, and after a few generations, its true purpose was forgotten. Her smile widened, and she shoved the claw in her satchel.

"Where are you headed now?" Wilhelm called out after her as she made her way out the door.

"Back to the barrow!" she replied. "Now that the phony spirit is taken care of, I've got some treasure hunting to do."

Wilhelm chuckled and shook his head at his new friend and patron, tucking Wyndelius' journal beneath the counter where the claw had always sat.

* * *

Moving the rotating panels in the order they were displayed on the claw (moth-owl-wolf) and inserting the sapphire tips into the holes in the gold circle did the trick. The old stone door groaned and cracked as it slowly slid down into the floor, dust flying out everywhere after years of not being opened.

Nesta coughed and brushed some of the dust off her clothes. "If Lynly thought I was dusty before, wait 'til she sees me now," she chuckled.

After some time, several skeletons, and a few draugr, Nesta found herself facing another ancient puzzle to solve. The barrow had turned out to be huge, it's small appearance above the surface completely misleading as to just how far down into the earth the ancients had delved. Nesta felt she had to be getting to the end of it, but she was stuck. Four pillars with those animal symbols and a raised bridge blocked her path.

Finally deciding to match the four pillars to some symbols she found engraved on the wall, she stepped on a pressure plate on the floor. However, instead of the bridge lowering, she heard the sound of stone sliding against stone. Behind her a stone panel in the wall she hadn't noticed before had opened. She entered to room, quickly fired off a few arrows to take care of the draugr who waited for her there and then realized she'd reached another dead end.

A second pressure plate was on the floor. She worried it could be a trap but decided to chance it. When she stood on it, four rotating stone panels in the walls around the room moved, revealing four more stone pillars with the animal symbols on them in a different order. She returned to the previous room, rotated the panels to reveal this new pattern, and stood on the first pressure plate again. This time, the wooden bridge dropped, and she was able to cross it. As she did, an iron gate ahead of her opened, and she continued deeper into the barrow.

* * *

Nesta had finally reached the main burial chamber. She'd lost count of the amount of her father's glass arrows she'd lost on skeletons and draugr during her adventure, having only been able to salvage a few of them. Her satchel was full of jewelry, coins, gems, and potions. But there was no legendary treasure hidden within the deepest chamber. Just a few coffins, some more minor loot, and some giant stone wall with a dragon and some words engraved on it. Words that meant nothing to her and were in a language she didn't recognize.

Shrugging to herself, she found a back way out of the chamber. Following the tunnel and then pulling a lever in the wall opened a hidden stone panel, and she chuckled to herself when she realized she stood in the room Wyndelius had called home. All that time, and he was one hidden door away from the place he'd been trying to get to.

Nesta was curious about the dragon wall. She knew Skyrim had a lot of history with dragons, who had just been rare visitors in other parts of Tamriel even when they were common. The appearance of that dragon the week before and now this wall had her wanting to learn more about them, but by the time she'd stowed her loot away in her room at the inn and joined Bassianus for a drink, she'd forgotten all about dragons and mysterious locked away walls.


	4. The 7,000 Steps

Chapter Four: The 7000 Steps (Sundas, 31st of Last Seed)

This was a horrible idea.

Klimmek had thrown his back out helping Temba with an especially heavy load of lumber at the mill, and she'd taken him up on his offer of splitting the coin with him if she made his monthly delivery to High Hrothgar. At the end of each month, Klimmek delivered a bag of food goods to the monks, leaving it in an offering chest outside the monastery. In return, the Greybeards left him a bag of septims. He and the Greybeards were the only ones with the keys to that particular offerings chest, so while he wasn't worried about the coin being stolen, he didn't want the old men going hungry because he was unable to fulfill his end of their agreement.

However, after several hours, she still hadn't reached the top of the cursed steps, she was exhausted from climbing and carrying the heavy bag. She was, somehow, still hungover from the Harvest's End celebration a few nights before, and she'd lost count of the times she'd stumbled. She'd had to fend off wolves and frostbite spiders and had only seen two pilgrims on the path. A hunter who she knew from times he visited the inn and some woman warrior who wasn't even remotely friendly. Now she was crouched behind a rock, trying to hide from a frost troll. Her arrows didn't seem to deter the beast one bit, and she doubted her dagger would do much damage to it either. Not to mention, it would probably crush her before she was able to get close enough to stab it anyway.

What had her uncle always said was the trick to killing trolls? Fire! Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that?

She focused her energy on one of the few destruction spells she had learned from her mother, and the palm of her left hand began to glow with flames. She stood, causing the troll to release a deafening roar when he realized where she was. He advanced toward her, and she concentrated, shooting a stream of hot flame from her hand. It took longer than she'd hoped, and the troll got a bit close for comfort, but it worked in the end, and she was left standing over its carcass in the snow, the wind spreading the scent of charred flesh all around her.

She harvested some fat from beneath the troll's fur, knowing alchemists would pay a fair amount of coin for just a small bit of the hard-to-come-by ingredient, and continued up the path.

Stopping to read another emblem, she smiled as the large stone fortress, the monastery of High Hrothgar, finally came into view. Carved stone monuments adorned the path in a few places, and they were engraved with a tale of the ancient Nords who had apparently once been ruled over by corrupt dragons. They learned to speak with the voice of the dragons, a gift from the deity Kyne according to the plaques, and overthrew their dragon lords. Then some man named Jurgen Windcaller built the monastery and started a religion based upon the voice. It sounded like a load of malarchy to Nesta, but to each his own.

She unlocked the chest and placed the bag of supplies in it, tucking the coin purse into her belt for the journey back down the mountain. Before leaving, she sat down on a rock near the edge of the mountain and snacked on some cheese and bread, pulling the fur cape Klimmek had lent her for the trip tighter around herself. The wind was bitter, but the view was magnificent.

Nesta sat very near the top of the highest mountain in Tamriel. All of Skyrim spread before her - distant mountains, sprawling forests, an area of open plains. She could see what looked like a great city below her amidst the plains and ancient monuments built atop the nearby mountains. Somewhere out there in all that beautiful vastness were her siblings, wandering lost like her, trying to find their way and make a life for themselves in this strange land. She hoped Skyrim was being as kind to them as it was her.

 **Author's Note: And that's the end of the first month of Nesta's story. Three siblings down, three more to go. Next up will be Elain. Find her story, _Skyrim Book IV: Elain_ , posted sometime tomorrow most likely. As I said before, Aerenwen and Mari's stories have already been started. You can find the link to them in my profile.**


	5. Riften

Part Two: Hearthfire

 **Author's Note: Thus begins the second part of Nesta's story . . . Previously, she trailed her sister's captors to Helgen but fled when the dragon attacked, finding herself in Ivarstead. There, she made some friends, earned some coin, explored a barrow, and climbed a mountain. Now, knowing there is no future in the small town for her, she has headed to Riften.**

Chapter One: Riften (Morndas, 1st of Hearthfire)

A part of Nesta had been sad to leave the peaceful little village and its inhabitants whom she had begun to think of as friends, but she knew she didn't have a future there. She'd never find her siblings in the isolated community, and the biggest part of her yearned for riches and adventure. Skyrim was overflowing with both for the taking, and she was going to begin her journey to find them in the city of Riften, capital of the Rift, and the largest community nearby Ivarstead since Helgen's destruction.

Rumors of the dragon attack on the fortified city in the mountains had reach Ivarstead just a few days after Nesta. She couldn't imagine how Aerenwen could have survived it, but a little voice in her heart told her that she had. She had to believe she would know if her siblings were dead - their connection had been just that strong - and yet it was as if, although she had no idea where they were or how far away they might be - she could still feel them somehow. That had to mean something.

It had taken Nesta most of the day to travel to Riften. She'd faced a few bandits, bears, and wolves on her journey, and by the time she stood within sight of the city's walls, she had three bear pelts strapped to her back for Temba. The stone walls of Riften stood at the edge of a lake, and the gates were closed. She approached, and a guard spoke to her.

"Visitors to the city need to take the north gate," he informed her, gesturing to a path traveling around the edge of the wall.

Nesta felt that was a bit ridiculous. Why post guards at a gate if you're not going to let anyone through it anyway? But she did as she'd been told, not wanting to make trouble for herself before even getting inside. The north gate of the city looked much the same as the south had and was also manned with a guard on each side of it. Riften guards wore simple, dark uniforms and carried wooden shields adorned with the image of two crossing swords.

The stables stood outside the gate, and she could see two men milling around the yard. A third man was tending to a wagon at the edge of the road, and she approached him.

"Need a ride?" he asked with a smile. "I can get you to any of the hold's capitals for a fee."

"No thank you," Nesta replied. "What can you tell me about Riften?"

"You can get a room at the Bee and Barb," he replied, "but mind your coin purse. It's no secret that the Thieves' Guild makes its home here."

Nesta thanked him for the information.

"Oh," he called out as she walked away, "if you meet Maven Black-Briar, stay on her good side. It's her city, and no one else's."

Nesta nodded and filed that name away to be remembered. Upon approaching the guards, she was once again stopped.

"What's your business in Riften?" one asked.

"I've just traveled from Ivarstead and am looking to stay at the inn," she replied. She supposed telling him she had a knapsack full of goods she had looted from some bandits and an old tomb probably wasn't a good idea.

"Visitors to the city need to pay the visitor's tax," he informed her.

"What for?" she asked.

"For the pleasure of visiting our fair city, of course," he replied with a sly smile.

Nesta raised her eyebrows at him. "Really? You think I'm an idiot? This is obviously a shakedown."

The guard looked nervous. "Okay, okay. Keep your voice down." He quickly signaled for the gate to be opened. "Go on in."

Nesta chuckled to herself as she entered the city. It was obvious that the members of the Thieves' Guild weren't the only crooks around here.

Riften was a bustling city. She stood inside the gate and watched with a smile as the residents wandered the streets, and the din of conversation filled the air. Ivarstead had been peaceful, yes, but this was much more her speed - a city with activity, with action. Nesta was already pleased with what she was seeing.

She wandered down the cobbled street and took in the town. The buildings were in good repair and constructed mainly of wood, though the architecture was quite a different style than that of the buildings in Ivarstead. From the outside of the walls, Riften had appeared to be built upon the edge of the lake, but it was clear from inside that it was actually constructed, at least partially, right atop the lake. Many of the city's roads were actually wooden platforms crossing a canal created between the main portion of the city - a semi-circular area that stretched around the interior of the wall - and a manmade river in the center. Stone foundations rose out of the canal to street level where the wood construction began. Wooden bridges spanned the canal in several places, connecting the island and the mainland area of the city.

Nesta stopped at the edge and leaned against the railing, peering over into the canal. The water appeared quite deep and, surprisingly clean. Wooden partitions and metal grates separated the canal from the main part of the lake, but it appeared it was possible to open them, allowing boats to travel through the town. All were currently closed, just as the main gates to the city had been, and she wondered if this was always the case or only so because of the war.

"What's your business in Riften?" a gruff voice asked.

She glanced up and saw a massive Nord man with uncommonly dark hair and a full set of steel armor. He had a finely trimmed beard and wore his long hair tied back at the nape of his neck with leather string. A fierce scar ran down his left cheek from just beneath his eye along the length of his nose. He didn't appear terribly friendly, but Nesta was never one to be intimidated, even when she should be.

"Who's asking?" she wondered, standing up and leaning her hip against the rail, arms crossed in front of her. She thought she saw the warrior smirk and wondered if standing up to him could possibly earn his respect.

"I asked you first," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "When I ask a question, I make sure people answer."

Nesta raised her blonde eyebrows and smirked at the man. "And these intimidation tactics usually work for you?"

This time when the warrior smirked, he didn't try to hide it. "Generally, yes. You've got balls, elf. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I tend to lean towards the former. I'll ask again, what's your business in Riften?"

"My mother taught me never to reveal too much to strangers," Nesta replied with a sweet smile.

The warrior actually chuckled. "Fair enough," he replied. "Name's Maul. I watch the streets for the Black-Briars. If you need dirt on anything, I'm your guy . . . for a price. I make it my business to know what's going on within these walls. If it's worth knowing, I know it."

Nesta nodded. There was that name again, Black-Briar. "I'm Nesta," she replied. "I'm new to Skyrim and have been staying in Ivarstead, but small town life isn't for me. I thought I'd check out Riften. So as to the answer to your question, I'm not entirely sure. I have some goods to trade and would like to learn about the city. If I find that I like it and there's a place for me, I may stay. If not, I'll just be passing through."

"You've got spunk, kid," Maul answered. "I like that. Just stay out of the Black-Briars' business, and you and I will get along just fine."

"Your the second person in the short time I've been here that has mentioned the name Black-Briar to me," Nesta told him. "Who are they?"

"If you're thinking about staying in Riften, it's best you know who they are, so you can stay on their good side," the warrior answered. "First, there's Maven. She pretty much runs the whole operation. She's got friends in high places if you know what I mean. She's also got ties to the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves' Guild, so no one can touch her, and it's best to stay on her good side. Just remember, if you have the privelage of meeting her, and she asks you to do something, you damn well better do it. Lake Honrich is deep, and it's pretty easy to conveniently lose a body there."

"Advice noted," Nesta replied with a nod. "What about the rest of the family?"

"None of them are as important as Maven," Maul simply replied.

"Alright then. What can you tell me about the Thieves' Guild?"

Maul narrowed his eyes but smiled. "Usually I charge for all these questions, but I like you, so you'll get a one time freebie. The Thieves' Guild makes their home in the Ratway beneath the city."

"What's the Ratway?"

"Old sewer tunnels, basically," Maul replied. "I used to run with the guild myself, but they hit a rough patch a few years back, and Maven offered me a job, so I took it. My brother, Dirge, still works for them though. If you want to get in on the action, you can find Brynjolf at his stall in the marketplace. I think he could probably use someone like you."

"Thanks for the advice," Nesta replied with a smile, "and the tips. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

"Watch your back, little elf," Maul replied. "Riften is home, but it can be a tough place to live. Something tells me you're going to do just fine here though."

Nesta smiled and gave him a wave before wandering across a bridge. She passed two people, a young Redguard man and a dark-haired Nord woman arguing, but she chose not to try and involve herself in their business. She gathered from what she had heard, she'd be better off simply minding her own until she had found a niche for herself.

A large building stood on the island in the center of the town, the largest of the few built on the island. A sign beside the door said "The Bee and Barb", and she realized this was the inn the carriage driver had told her about. She decided to continue exploring a bit before reserving herself a room. There were still a few hours of daylight left.

The marketplace spread out in front of the inn, most of the stalls arranged in a circular plaza. It was a busy place. Patrons milled around, shopping at the booths and browsing the wares. Merchants called out from their stalls, advertising their products. The sounds of steel being hammered echoed above the din, and Nesta saw a blacksmith shop on the opposite side of the market.

The first stall she came to wasn't actually a stall but a wooden cart full of meat and produce manned by a Dunmer woman in a simple red dress. She was set up against the wall of the inn, outside the actual market area and gave Nesta a smile when she stepped closer. "My food is the best in Skyrim," she stated confidently, "always as fresh as the day it was harvested."

"How do you manage to keep it so fresh?" Nesta wondered, looking over the variety of food in the cart.

"I picked up a trick from a butcher in Elinhir, a small town across the border in Hammerfell," she replied. "He taught me how to grind up ice wraith teeth and use them as a preservative. Keeps everything cold and fresh but only for a limited time. I'm always looking to replenish my supply. If you ever come across any ice wraith teeth in your journeys, I'll pay good coin for them."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nesta replied. "Have you lived in Riften for long?"

"About ten years," the woman replied. "I am Marise. You're new to town, yes?"

Nesta nodded and told the woman her name.

"Welcome. Riften can be a hard place to call home, what with the Thieves' Guild running the streets," the Dunmer replied, "but it has the largest market in Skyrim, and I've had success living here."

"What can you tell me about this Thieves' Guild?" Nesta asked.

"They live below the streets in the Ratway like filthy animals," Marise replied, " and trust me. They're no better than the vermin who slink out of those sewers for scraps. They make it difficult for decent people to make a living. Of course, there aren't many decent people who live here in the first place," she added with an ironic grin.

Nesta bid her farewell and continued into the market area. She handed a few coins to a man begging as she passed him, and he thanked her for her kindness.

The next stall she came to was manned by another Dunmer, this one a man. "Rare trinkets and the finest oddities from Morrowind!" he called out to garner Nesta's attention. "Welcome to Riften, traveler. I am Brand-Shei, and I sell the finest goods for the fairest prices in Skyrim."

"Brand-Shei? That's an unusual name for a Dunmer," Nesta commented. "I'm Nesta."

"I may be Dark Elf by birth, but I was raised Argonian," the man replied. "Through reasons I am still trying to discover, I ended up orphaned and adopted by a kind Argonian family in Black Marsh. I hope one day to find out what happened to me . . . how I ended up like that."

"Have you uncovered any clues to your past?" Nesta wondered.

"Just one," Brand-Shei answered. "When I was found by my Argonian father, I was wrapped in a blanket bearing the symbol of House Telvanni. It was one of the great houses of Morrowind long ago. Whether that means I'm one of them or not, I have no idea. If you ever come across anything in your travels that would be helpful, I would be grateful."

"I'll keep an eye out," Nesta replied. "What brought you to Skryim?"

"I learned that a matron who served House Telvanni had escaped Morrowind during the Ascension War," he replied. "Records show her buying passage to Skyrim aboard a sailing vessel known as 'The Pride of Tel Vos'. I came here to see if I could find where the ship landed, but the trail stopped cold. It's as if it never arrived in Skyrim. I spent years trying to discover what happened to that ship, but I've come up empty-handed."

Nesta continued on to the next merchant's stall. A Nordic woman with brown hair and full iron armor stood there with a generally unpleasant look on her face. "Protect yourself right. Buy armor from Grelka," she told the elf unenthusiastically.

"You're Grelka, I presume?"

"I am," the woman replied. "You gonna stare all day or actually buy something?"

Nesta frowned. "Do you do much business with that attitude?"

Grelka sighed. "Look, I've moved all over Skyrim selling these bits of junk, and I'm barely scraping by. I'm not out to win friends, and I could care less if you're happy with your purchase or not. I just need the coin. The sooner I get out of Skyrim, the better."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave Skyrim?" Nesta asked.

"Are you kidding?" Grelka wondered. "The war is tearing the land apart. The dragons have returned for who knows what. Skyrim is going nowhere fast. I'm headed to Cyrodiil as soon I've saved enough coin, and if I were you, I'd pack up and leave as well before you end up in one of those burial cairns. Now, are you going to buy anything?"

Not really wanting to spend much money but feeling a bit badly for wasting the woman's time, Nesta bought a half dozen lockpicks from the Nord and offered her some the ancient Nord armor and weapons she had looted from Shroud Hearth Barrow. Grelka was pleased with the goods, as pleased as her dry personality allowed, and gave Nesta some septims for them. "I'll be able to fix these up and sell them for a good price," she informed the elf. "I know of a collector who's always happy to pay a great deal for anything that belonged to the ancient Nords. You find anything else, you know where I am."

The next vendor was a jewelry stall manned by an Argonian man. Nesta didn't have a lot of experience with Argonians, but they had always fascinated her, as had the Khajiit. Here stood a man who walked and talked like any man or elf, but everything about him was reptilian. "Greetings, honored friend," he stated with what looked like it was supposed to be a smile, revealing rows of glistening sharp teeth in a wide mouth. "Can I interest you in some fine jewelry?" His voice was kind but definitely serpentine in sound. It had a whisper-like quality to it, and the 's' sounds were exagerrated.

Nesta leaned against his stall and looked over the beautiful pieces he had on display. "Do you make your own jewelry?" she asked.

"I do, though I will also pay fair coin for any pieces you wish to sell," he replied. "These two here," he gestured toward a circlet and a necklace, "were recently traded to me by an adventurer passing through town, but the rest you see here were crafted by my hand. Sadly, I'm one of the few traditional Saxheel Jewelers who remain in Tamriel. It's becoming a lost art, and finding materials has become hazardous with the war and bandits running amuck throughout Skyrim. I'll reward you handsomly for any gold or silver ore you can bring me as well as accessories - tusks, gems, rare stones . . . you name it."

Nesta pulled the gems and pieces of jewelry she had found in the barrow and lifted off bandits out of her pack, and the man was quite pleased with the haul.

"My name is Madesi, and I am very happy to do business with you," he replied, passing her a bag of Septims. "Are you just passing through or planning on staying in Riften for some time?"

"I'm undecided," Nesta replied. "I'm new to Skyrim and haven't quite decided where I'm going to establish some roots."

"Either way, welcome, and whenever you find yourself in possession of items such as these, I will gladly take them off your hands, no questions asked."

"You used the term Saxheel when referring to your jewelry," Nesta commented. "What does that mean?"

"Forgive me," Madesi replied. "I forget that other races throughout Tamriel refer to my people as Argonians, but back in Black Marsh, we prefer the term Saxheel. Madesi is my original Saxheel name. Many of my kind change their names upon leaving our home province, but I chose to embrace tradition and leave mine as it was."

"What brought you to Skyrim?" Nesta wondered.

"As I stated, there aren't many of those in my craft left," Madesi replied. "My family holds strong to our traditions and wished to spread our fine craftsmenship through Tamriel in hopes of recruiting some apprentices and keep the art alive. Of my two brothers, one remained in Black Marsh to continue our father's business, and the other has a shop in the Imperial City. I chose to come to Skyrim and have found Riften to be the friendliest city for my kind."

"How is your business here?" she wondered.

"Not well I'm afraid," Madesi replied. "I have a few loyal customers and usually do well around the holidays when people are looking for trinkets for their loved ones, but that Brynjolf drains people's pockets with his ridiculous schemes, and people aren't as apt to have the money to casually shop for the jewelry I sell."

"Who is Brynjolf?" Nesta asked, recognizing his name as someone influential with the Thieves' Guild from her talk with Maul.

"That's Brynjolf," Madesi replied with a nod toward a nearby stall.

Nesta glanced in his direction but didn't study him much as she didn't want to get caught staring while in conversation with the Argonian.

"He sells miracle cures that are just scams, but he's so charming, he manages to convince people to buy them," Madesi told her, "even when they've realized that his last supposed cure didn't work. Last month it was troll fat salve to fade scars. He's got something new now, but who knows what it is. Everyone knows he's involved with the Thieves' Guild. One of their top players from what I've heard. Watch out for him."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Madesi," Nesta commented, choosing not to acknowledge his warning about Brynjolf, as she pocketed her coins and slung her pack back over her shoulder.

"You as well," he replied with a nod. "Safe travels, land-strider."

The final booth in the market was manned by an extremely handsome Nord, Brynjolf apparently. His long hair hung loose and extremely straight around his shoulders, and it, as well as his beard, was nearly red in color. He was quite tall, one of the taller Nords Nesta had met. Most were just a bit shorter than her Altmer kin, the tallest she had met previously were equal to her height, but this man surpassed her by several inches, and as she stood beside his stall, the elf found herself actually having to look up to meet his stormy, gray eyes. He was well built with broad shoulders and huge, muscular biceps, something that was barely hidden by the fine clothing he wore. His features were flawless and handsome, and Nesta found herself quite attracted to the man, especially when he smiled widely upon her approach. He may be a conartist and thief, but there was nothing sketchy or remotely disconcerting about his smile. It was friendly and genuine, and she immediately had the impression that despite his chosen career path, he was a good man. She hoped they had that in common.

"Interested in buying some of my Falmer Blood Elixir, pretty elf?" he asked when she'd approached. "With it, you'll find you can make love like a sabre cat," he stated with a wiggle of his thick eyebrows, "or crush your foe like a giant."

Nesta chuckled. "I think I'll pass," she replied with a smirk. "I have it on rather good authority, I don't need any help when it comes to fucking like a sabre cat."

Brynjolf's eyes widened as did his grin. He extended his hand. "Brynjolf," he stated.

"Nesta," she replied, receiving his handshake. "I was actually directed to chat with you by a mutual acquaintance."

Brynjolf raised an eyebrow in question, signaling for the elf to continue.

"Maul," she explained. "He seems to think I could be of some use to your organization."

"Recommendations from Maul are few and far between, lass," Brynjolf replied. "What is it about you that he thinks would be of use to me?"

"He commented on my spunk and balls," Nesta replied, "though I also have a pack full of highly priced stolen and looted goods, and," she added looking the man up and down and biting her bottom lip in the way she'd often found drove men wild, "I can probably think of a few other ways I could be of use to you."

The large Nord actually blushed a bit as he laughed loudly. "I'll tell you what, lass," he replied. "You want into the guild? Show me you'll be a benefit to us. I've got a job. I usually work alone, but I need another set of hands for this one. You interested?"

"What do you need me to do?" Nesta asked confidently.

"Our client would like us to get Brand-Shei out of the way," Brynjolf replied. "We don't kill people, so don't worry about that, but the dark elf knows too much, and our client feels he won't be able to dig into things that aren't his business if he's behind bars. It shouldn't be a long stint, just petty theft, but it will be enough to teach him a lesson to keep his nose out of things that don't concern him."

"Alright," Nesta replied. Part of her felt badly for framing the man she had talked to just a short time before, but petty theft would result in just a few days in jail, and in a way, she felt she was probably helping the Dunmer. She had already gotten the impression that there were dangerous people in Riften, and if Brand-Shei had crossed one of them, he was fortunate he was being dealt with in this way rather than finding himself weighted to the bottom of Lake Honrich.

"I'll cause a distraction," Brynjolf replied, "draw the attention of everyone in the plaza. While their eyes are on me, you need to steel Madesi's silver ring. He keeps it in a lockbox in the cupboard beneath his stall. Then plant the ring in Brand-Shei's pocket. Our client and the guards will take it from there."

"Sounds easy enough," Nesta replied with a shrug. "When do you want to do this?"

"Tomorrow morning," Brynjolf answered. "Market opens at 8. Be here then, and we'll get started once it's gotten busy."

"See you then, I guess," Nesta answered. "I'll be looking forward to working more closely with you, Brynjolf," she added with a wink.

The Nord chuckled. "I think I may be in trouble with you around."

"That's a promise, handsome."

* * *

The Bee and Barb was by no means an ornately decorated inn. The furnishings were simple, and the sparse decorations mostly consisted of mounted game, but it was clean and full of patrons, definitely the busiest inn Nesta had visited since they had stayed in Anvil.

The innkeeper was an Argonian woman who greeted Nesta upon her approach to the counter with a gruff, "If you've got the coin, you're welcome here. Otherwise, hit the road."

Nesta smiled, attempting to be friendly. "I would like to rent a room, please."

"15 septims a night," she replied. "Or 75 for a week."

"I'll pay the 75," Nesta replied.

The woman accepted her payment and afterward was much more friendly. "I'm Keerava, the owner of this establishment. Follow me, and I'll show you to your room."

Nesta followed the woman up a set of stairs to the second floor and was shown to a small room. It was furnished with a small bed, a chest, a single chair, and a small dresser.

"Your key will open the room and the chest," Keerava stated. "I've the only other copy but be warned. The Thieves' Guild have ways of getting in. It's impossible to make a decent living here. I can't stand this city. You'd be wise to move on at week's end."

She disappeared back down the stairs at that, and Nesta put the few belongings she dared to leave out of her sight in the chest before locking the room and making her way back down to the tavern. She approached Keerava again and ordered the special for dinner, apple cabage stew with bread and cheese, and a goblet of wine.

"What can you tell me about Riften?" she asked.

"Riften's biggest exports used to be fishing and honey, before the Black-Briar family moved in," she replied, leaning against the counter, her clawed hands splayed out against the wooden top. "Now the Black-Briar meadery is the biggest game in town, and if Maven keeps raising her prices on mead, I'll have to take to watering it down just to make ends meet. As for the townsfolk, there's some decent people here, but between the skooma trade and the Thieves' Guild, life can be hard. The Jarl's people have been tearing through Riften trying to find the base of the skooma operation, but from what I hear, they aren't having any luck. The Guild's presence is still strong in Riften. They help themselves to whatever they want and expect hard-working folks to pay a tariff to them for their protection, but their presence in other parts of Skyrim is nearly gone. I hear they're falling apart from the inside."

Nesta decided she'd have to ask Brynjolf about that when she'd been successful in his scheme the next morning and hopefully earned his trust. She took a seat at a small, empty table to the side of the tavern to wait for her food and watch the patrons.

It was an ecletic mix of people. There were those who were obviously of means based upon their manner of dress, and those who were struggling. A few people had already indulged a bit too much in alcoholic beverages and were quite loud. She recognized the faces of some of the vendors, and took in the faces of others who were obviously hunters, farmers, and other laborers.

Soon, another Argonian, approached her table carrying the food she had ordered. "I'm Talen-Jei," he stated as she set it down on the table. "If you have interest in any of our special drinks, let me know."

"What have you got?" Nesta asked.

"First, is the Velvet LeChance," he replied. "It's a mixture of blackberry, honey, spiced wine, and a touch of nightshade . . . perfectly safe, I assure you. Second, we have the White-Gold Tower, which is heavy cream with a layer of blended mead, lavender and dragon's tongue on top. Last, and only for the bravest of souls, we have the Cliff Racer which is Firebrand Wine, Cyrodiilic Brandy, Flin, and Sujamma."

"Did you develop the recipes yourself?" Nesta wondered.

"I did, indeed," Talen-Jei answered with a proud smile. "Brought them here with me from my days as a bartender in Gideon."

"I'll try the White-Gold Tower," Nesta told him, passing him a few septims.

He returned shortly with her drink. "Are you staying in Riften long?"

"Possibly," she answered, sipping her drink. "This is delicious, by the way. I'm staying at least a week, perhaps longer depending upon how well my time here goes."

"Just watch out for the Thieves' Guild," Talen-Jei warned. "They're vermin . . . garbage. They're exactly what makes this city such a horrible place to live."

"Tell me," Nesta stated, changing the subject, "is there any Thalmor presence here?"

The Argonian frowned. "If you owe allegiance to the Thalmor, you'll find it difficult to remain in the Rift. The majority of the Nords here, including our Jarl, are Stormcloak sympathizers."

"I don't," Nesta replied. "I'm asking out of a need to avoid them."

He nodded, understanding. "You won't find any in Riften, and they're rarely seen anywhere in the hold. You'll be safe from them here." He smiled, then excused himself to wait on another customer.

Patrons came and went as Nesta ate and sipped at her drink. It was rather strong, and she didn't want to end up inebriated after mixing it with wine. Usually she held her drink well but hadn't indulged terribly much since leaving Auridon, and she didn't want to be off her guard in this new city. Brynjolf came in at one point, sending a nod of acknowledgement in Nesta's direction when he spotted her. She smirked at him and sent him a wink in return. Later in the evening, a brown-robed priest showed up in the inn and began preaching to whomever would listen that the dragons were a sign of Mara's unhappiness with the people of Skyrim.

"No, no, Maramel, we've talked about this," Keerava called out from behind the counter. "Talen . . ." she cast a glance in her partner's direction.

"Keerava, certainly we can come to an understanding," the priest replied. "These people must be made aware of the chaos they've sown."

"Enough, Maramel," Talen-Jei, stated, approaching him and laying a clawed hand on his shoulder. "We've all heard of the dragons and their return. There's no reason to use them as an excuse to harass our customers."

"Very well, Talen," the priest replied somberly. "I shall remove myself from this den of iniquity."

"We're not kicking you out," the Argonian replied. "Just keep the sermons at the temple and let us all sin in peace."

The priest left the inn, and Nesta chuckled to herself.


	6. The Ratway

Chapter Two: The Ratway (Tirdas, Second of Hearthfire)

Nesta left the inn and stood at the edge of the market the next morning. She watched as patrons began to arrive, and in just under an hour, despite the early morning, it was just as busy as it had been when she'd visited the evening before.

Brynjolf nodded to her then and called out loudly, "Friends! People of Riften! Come! You need to see this!"

A few looked interested, others mumbled, wondering what scheme Brynjolf was trying to pull now, but amazingly, they all followed his direction, the merchants even leaving their stalls to step closer and hear what he had to say. This Nord was definitely charming and had a gift of persuasion.

Nesta made her way discreetly over to Madesi's stall and stood beside it. She stealthily pulled a potion of invisibility out of her satchel and drank it down, knowing that the guards who stood around the outer edge of the market would not be distracted by Brynjolf and would certainly see her. Once the potion had taken effect, she knelt down behind Madesi's booth and slid open the cupboard door, surprised to find it unlocked. The strongbox within, however, was locked, but she successively picked said lock and removed the silver ring. She carefully closed the box and the cupboard, covering her tracks, and made her way over behind Brand-Shei's booth. The Dunmer was standing at the back of the crowd gathered around Brynjolf, leaned against some barrels beside his booth, and Nesta saw an opportunity to reach through the space between the barrels and drop the ring right in his pocket completely unnoticed.

She stepped back into the shade beside a tree where she could reappear, hopefully, undetected, and after doing so, she stepped into the crowd and caught Brynjolf's eye. She nodded to the man to indicate her chore was complete, and he wrapped up his spiel, which was obviously clearly bullshit. It was successful bullshit, however, and after he'd finished, a few people remained at his stall to buy his elixir. He happily accepted their payments, and Nesta approached him when he was once again alone.

"Does that stuff even work?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It's just a healing potion," he replied with a smirk. "But the power of suggestion works wonders. The guild has been struggling a bit. I find selling products here helps our coffers."

"I heard you were struggling," Nesta replied. "What's going on with that?"

"Seems we've a string of bad luck, but I'm hoping to change that," Brynjolf replied, "and it seems you may help me reach that end. Good work. I obviously chose the right woman for the job. Here's your payment. 100 septims. You can count it if you'd like."

"I trust you," she answered, tucking the coin purse into her belt.

He smiled. "There's more where that came from if you're interested in joining our organization," he informed her. "Our headquarters are based in a tavern, The Ragged Flagon, located in the Ratway. If you can find it and meet me there tonight at midnight, I'll know you're serious about joining."

"I'll see you then," Nesta replied.

* * *

Nesta spent the rest of the day further exploring Riften. The general goods store, called The Pawned Prawn, was run by a Nord named Bersi Honey-Hand. Like the other merchants, he complained about the Thieves' Guild and the town. He also claimed the authorities were corrupt and stated he should have stuck to fishing instead of becoming a merchant. Bersi bought the rest of Nesta's goods leftover from her time in Ivarstead, and she left the shop.

Growing up as the daughter of a blacksmith and an alchemist, Nesta felt the two most important places to be familiar with were the forge and the alchemy shop. The former was run by a Nord named Balimund White-Mane. He was friendly and quite proud of his forge and commented on Nesta's knowledge.

"My father was a blacksmith," she explained to him.

He nodded. "Mine wasn't," he replied. "My father is the Harbinger of the Companions, but I grew up in their mead hall and was trained by Eorlund Gray-Mane, the finest blacksmith in Skyrim. He works the Skyforge and produces steel that is unequaled by any other forge in Tamriel. At first, I found the limitations of normal forges frustrating, after training on the Skyforge, but I learned a formula for feeding the forge with fire salts, leading to results that almost rival Eorlund's, though not quite. If you're ever in possession of fire salts, I'll gladly take them off your hands."

Nesta promised to remember that. "Who are the Companions?" she asked.

"An order of warriors based in Whiterun," Balimund replied. "They've been around since the days of Ysgramor himself."

"And your father is their leader?"

"Of a sorts," he answered with a shrug. "They don't have a leader, per se, but the Harbinger is the face of the organization and serves as an advisor to the other members."

Nesta wondered if Aerenwen, if she were alive, had heard of the Companions. They sounded like something she would be interested in.

She found the apothecary shop, Elgrim's Elixirs, at the lower level of the city, located down a set of steps and tucked into the stone foundation of the island beside the canal. The shop's owner and namesake was a grouchy old man who seemed more interested in his experiments than dealing with customers. He pointed Nesta in the direction of his wife and went back to his work over the alchemy table.

Hafjorg, Elgrim's wife, was much more personable than her husband and greeted Nesta with a smile. The elf purchased some potions from her, restocking her supply of healing elixirs and invisibility potions, two things she found a necessity to always have on her person. Nesta commented on the wide variety of ingredients stocking the shelves behind the woman.

"Are you an alchemist, child?" the woman asked.

"No," Nesta replied, "but I have a basic knowledge. My mother was an alchemist. She ran a shop and was considered a master of the art. What about you?"

Hafjorg shook her head. "I can mix a few simple potions," she replied, "but that's the extent of it. I've picked up quite a lot by reading the tomes Elgrim has scattered around this place, but I lack the skill to pull most of them off. Ironic that I'm married to one of Skyrim's most well known teachers of the art, yet he's never had the patience to teach me."

"Does he take students often?" Nesta asked.

"Yes, but most don't stick around," the woman replied with a chuckle. "It takes a special kind of patience to put up with my husband. His current student, Ingun Black-Briar, has lasted longer than most. I suspect it's more due to a lack of options. Her mother won't let her leave Riften, but Elgrim sees a certain talent in the girl and is happy to teach her."

"Is she Maven's daughter?" Nesta wondered.

Hafjorg nodded. "Listen, in your travels, if you happen to go through Shor's Stone, could you do me a favor? We received a letter from the blacksmith, and he's come across an unknown ore in the mine that he'd like Elgrim to study. With the war, I don't dare to make the trip to retrieve it myself, and the curriers are so busy running correspondence in reference to the war, I've had a hard time finding someone to pick up the sample for us."

"I could probably do that," Nesta replied. "How far is Shor's Stone?"

"A couple of hours to the north," the old woman replied. "It's a small mining village. The blacksmith is located right on the main road, the only road going through town. It's hard to miss it."

* * *

After dinner and a few drinks at the inn, Nesta made her way to the Ratway. The entrance was located, much like the apothecary shop, on the lower level of the city and tucked into the stone foundation of the island. She'd been warned the place was crawling with unsavory characters, so upon entering, she immediately pulled out her bow and took to traveling stealthily through the musty tunnels, sticking to the shadows and staying light on her feet.

Two men stood in the large area at the end of the first tunnel, plotting over a plan to take action against the Thieves' Guild and rob from them. She decided if they were enemies of the guild she wished to join, they were her enemies as well. She didn't enjoy taking lives, but as soon as they sensed her presence, they pulled their weapons and made to attack. She took care of the first with an arrow to his right eye and the second with her dagger through his throat.

Continuing on, she arrived at an apparent dead end. A wooden bridge was in front of her, but instead of being lowered to bridge the gap in the stone, it was raised. Nesta glanced around but didn't see any way to release it. Probably a test from Brynjolf. She gathered crossing the bridge would be the most direct path to the Ragged Flagon, and he wanted to make her work for it.

She jumped down from the ledge, landing hard but on her feet, and continued creeping through the tunnels. She came across a few traps, none of which were tricky enough to trap her, and some lowlifes who didn't seem to care if she meant them no harm and either attempted to attack her or rob her. They all lay dead by her hand, and she had barely a scratch. She finally found herself in a large room with two other exits. The first she explored and found the other side of the raised bridge. She pulled the lever on the wall, dropping the bridge and went to explore the other exit, finding a tunnel that stretched down an incline and ended in a rounded wooden door. A sign over the door read "The Ragged Flagon". She'd found it.

Inside the tavern, she found a large pool of water with a stone and wooden path stretching around it. She followed the path to a well-lit area of the large cavern and was stopped at a ramp by a man dressed in warrior's clothes.

"Stay outta trouble," he growled, "or there's gonna be trouble."

"Not looking for trouble," Nesta replied, raising her hands in a submissive gesture. "Simply here to meet Brynjolf."

The man nodded. "He's at the bar."

Nesta climbed the ramp onto the wooden platform that consisted of the main portion of the rundown tavern. Several tables sat around, with a half dozen or so patrons, many of them wearing leather armor. She found Brynjolf sitting on a stool next to the bar, speaking with the bartender.

"Give it up, Brynjolf," the man was saying. "Those days are over."

"I'm telling you, this one is different," Brynjolf replied.

"We've all heard that one before, Bryn," another man stated. "Quit kidding yourself."

"It's time to face the truth, old friend," a third man stated, placing a hand on Brynjolf's wide shoulder. "You, Vex, Delvin, Mercer . . . you're all part of a dying breed. Things are changing."

Nesta leaned against the bar in Brynjolf's line of sight.

The man grinned. "Dying breed, eh? Well, what do you call that then?"

The other men looked at Nesta in surprise.

"Well, well," Brynjolf stated, pulling out the stool beside him for Nesta. She sat down. "Color me impressed, lass. I wasn't sure I'd see you again. The last few we sent through the Ratway to find us, didn't make it."

"It was easy getting here," Nesta replied with a shrug.

"Reliable and headstrong?" Brynjolf answered with another grin. "You're turning out to be quite the prize!"

"You have no idea," Nesta flirted, causing the other men standing around to chuckle.

"I have another task for you," he told her. "I'd like you to pay a visit to three deadbeats for me. They're all behind on their payments to the Guild and have made it quite clear they have no intention of settling their debt. They could use some persuasion, and I have a sneaking suspicion you have a talent for that."

Nesta winked at him.

"No bloodshed, preferably," he elaborated. "Bersi runs the general goods store in town, Keerava the inn, and Haelga the bunkhouse."

"Any tips on how to sway them?" Nesta wondered.

"Bersi is quite proud of the dwarven decorations he has on display in his store. Won't even sell them," Brynjolf replied. "Haelga is a devout Dibella worshipper. She has secrets that could be discovered and extorted and is very protective of her alter to the goddess. Keerava is a tough one, but she has a soft spot for family. Pay them all a visit tomorrow, remind them our organization isn't to be trifled with."

Nesta nodded. "You'll be here when I'm finished?"

"Eventually," Brynjolf replied. "I'll be at the marketplace until close and usually dine at the Bee and Barb, as you saw last night, but otherwise you can find me here. As far as guild business goes, I'd prefer our interactions happened here."

Nesta nodded and turned toward the bartender.

"They call me Vekel the Man," he stated with a nod. "Want a drink?"

Nesta nodded and slid a few septims across the bar. He placed a full flagon of mead in front of her, a bit of the foam sloshing over the top onto the wooden counter.

"You're Brynjolf's new protege, eh?"

Nesta nodded. "I suppose so."

"I'm telling you, Vekel, this one's different," Brynjolf stated with a proud smile in Nesta's direction.

"We'll see," Vekel replied.


	7. Taking Care of Business

Chapter Three: Taking Care of Business (Middas, 3rd of Hearthfire)

Nesta had been given a cowl by Brynjolf before she left the Ragged Flagon the night before.

"Our organization runs on a certain level of anonimity," he had told her. "Keep your face hidden when paying these visits. The mystery of your identity will benefit not only us but also you. You're new to town and making enemies, no matter who they are, isn't a good idea until you've established yourself. If you're to be one of us, it's our job to keep you safe while you bring in coin for the Guild."

He'd also given her a set of armor. "I shouldn't be doing this until you're initiated," he had said, "but you're acting as the face of the Guild tomorrow, so you should look the part."

Nesta had appreciated the gesture and sensed a certain level of caring in his comments. The more she knew of Brynjolf, the more she was coming to like him.

The guild armor was a mixture of leather and cotton. Leather pants that fit her curves quite flatteringly, leather boots that didn't make a sound when she stepped, leather gloves that fit snugly with great flexibility for movement. A cotton shirt with a hood was worn beneath a leather vest which had buckled straps, complete with a sheath for her dagger. She tucked a second dagger into her boot, and a third into a strap around her thigh. To complete her look, she strapped her quiver of arrows onto her back, tucking her bow into place on her back as well. She pulled on the cowl, which hung low over her forehead, keeping her face shadowed, and had a piece of fabric at the base to cover the bottom half of her face. She didn't see herself wearing it often, but as Brynjolf had stated, she had no desire to make enemies so soon.

Nesta snuck out of the inn through the window of her room, climbing onto the overhang and, when the coast was clear, she dropped down into the alley. She didn't want Keerava and Talen-Jei to see her in her new uniform or be suspicious when she left the inn at such an early hour. She'd be threatening them later but having nowhere else to stay, needed to remain on their good side.

She chose to visit Bersi first, picking the lock and slipping in through the door. She found the shopkeeper standing behind the counter going through his books.

"What? How did you get in here? We're not open yet. Oh, it's one of you people," the Nord commented with a snarl. "So Brynjolf doesn't even bother to show up himself anymore? What's the message?"

"You're behind on your payment," Nesta replied, dropping her voice slightly, hoping to sound more threatening and also further conceal her identity. "I've come to collect it."

"Petty threats and fist waving are not going to sway me," Bersi replied. "You people are all talk, and everyone knows it! Pay to protect me? Your organization can't even protect itself."

Nesta glanced around the room and saw a fancy metal urn displayed in front of the window. She approached it and picked it up, finding the large piece quite heavy.

"What are you doing?" the shopkeeper exclaimed. "That urn is priceless!"

"It would be a shame if I dropped it then," Nesta commented, allowing the urn to slip slightly in her fingers.

"All right! I get it!" Bersi stated, pulling a bag of coins out from beneath the counter. "Here's my payment, and I'll pay on time from now on. Just put the urn down. Carefully."

Nesta nodded and placed the urn where she'd found it, grabbing the coin bag and placing it in her belt. "Thanks for the business," she stated cockily before leaving the store.

Next she crept through the shadows to the inn. The tavern was empty, and Keerava was nowhere to be seen, but Talen-Jei was sweeping the floor near the bar.

"Where's Keerava?" she asked him.

He frowned when he saw her and sighed. "With the rumors going around about your organization, she's become much too bold. I was afraid it would come to this. I'm not that foolish. The last thing I want is a war with you people."

"Then help me get through to her," Nesta replied.

"Look, I'm only telling you this because I care for her," the Argonian replied. "Don't mistake this as acceptance for what you do. Keerava has some family who own a farm just across the border in Morrowind. If you mention you know about it, she may just listen to you. Just, please, don't hurt anyone. I couldn't bare the thought."

"I have no desire to hurt anyone," Nesta replied honestly, though she didn't share that the Guild didn't make a habit of doing such. Intimidation tactics were important in the business, and she gathered it wasn't common knowledge. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"Keerava is upstairs, cleaning the common area," Talen-Jei told her.

Nesta climbed the stairs and found the other Argonian sweeping an area not far from her room.

"Get out of my inn," the Argonian practically barked when she saw her. "I already told that buffoon Brynjolf that I'm not paying you people another damn coin."

"It wasn't a request, Keerava," Nesta replied, leaning casually against the wall at the top of the stairs.

"Look around at this place!" she exclaimed, throwing a hand out in a gesture of exasperation. "I'm barely holding things together as is. The war's made sure of that."

"Not our problem," Nesta answered with a shrug.

"Get out," Keerava growled.

"I guess I'll just have to pay a visit to that farm in Morrowind," the elf replied with a shrug, pushing herself off the wall.

Keerava gasped and dropped her broom in surprise. "How? How do you know about that?"

"We have our ways," Nesta answered cryptically. "Cooperate, and no one has to get hurt."

The Argonian woman sighed. "Just a moment," she stated, crossing the hall and disappearing into a room that Nesta believed she shared with Talen-Jei.

The thief placed her hand on the dagger on her chest just in case the feisty lizard returned with a weapon instead of her payment.

"Here," Keerava stated, passing a coin purse to Nesta. "It's all there. Tell Brynjolf I'm sorry and that I'll pay by the first of the month from now on. I didn't mean any offense by it. We all do what we think we need to in order to get by. Just please, leave my family out of this."

Nesta nodded and took the purse, returning to leave the way she had come.

She snuck around the shadows of the inn. The light was growing, and soon the streets would be busy. Nesta wanted to scope out Haelga and her bunkhouse before visiting for the guild as she hadn't met the woman before and wanted to make certain she was fully prepared. She jumped up and hoisted herself back onto the wooden awning on the side of the inn, creeping along and sneaking back in through her window. She changed into her regular clothes and slept for a few hours.

* * *

It was nearly noon when Nesta arrived at Haelga's Bunkhouse. It was a large building, located across the canal from the inn and directly beside the gate. She'd been told it provided food and shelter for the laborers and merchants of Riften who were able to afford to stay there.

A blonde woman stood behind a counter when she entered. Her long hair was in a braid down her back, and she wore a simple blue dress. She frowned at Nesta when she entered. "If you're looking for a bed, you're in the wrong place," she stated.

"I was just curious," Nesta replied. "I'm new to Riften and was wondering what this place was."

"This heap of matchsticks is what everyone calls Haelga's Bunkhouse," she replied. "Can you stay here? No. The Bunkhouse is for the working man, not some sort of luxury inn for tourists."

Nesta decided she wouldn't be even a little opposed to extorting this miserable woman. "Do you work here alone?"

"Of course not," Haelga snapped. "You expect me to take care of this place myself? My niece Svana helps with the chores. She'd be more of a help if she kept her head out of the clouds. She's been here with me ever since her parents died, and she was dropped in my lap."

After that, Nesta wandered back outside, away from the rude woman. She sat on a bench against the railing of the walkway for a time, watching the bunkhouse. She was surprised to see both Bersi and Keerava visit over the course of the afternoon, and she wondered if their refusal to pay had been some sort of united rebellion. She decided to visit the bunkhouse before dinner, when most of the tenants would still be out working. There was an empty house beside the Bunkhouse, and she hid in a corner of its overgrown garden to change into her armor, knowing it would be more difficult to sneak out of the inn without being identified during the daylight hours.

"Hello, Haelga," she stated as she entered the Bunkhouse again, this time in her disguise.

Now the unfriendly woman appeared frightened. "I know who you are," she stated, immediately removing a coin purse from her belt. You've been terrorizing the entire city. There's no need for that here. Here," she passed the purse to Nesta, "I even have my payment, and you can tell Brynjolf it won't happen again."

Nesta nodded, actually feeling slightly disappointed that she hadn't gotten to threaten or rough up the nasty woman up at all. She took the payment and stealthily returned to the garden, changing back into her normal clothes.

* * *

Nesta emerged from her room into the tavern at the Bee and Barb rather late in the evening. She'd napped again, not certain how much sleep she'd get the following night when she returned to the Ragged Flagon. When she entered the inn, the first thing she saw was Brynjolf, seated at a table, looking rather uncomfortable as Haelga fawned all over him.

"You know, Brynjolf," she was saying in a voice Nesta gathered was supposed to be seductive, "there are other ways I could pay you."

Brynjolf narrowed his eyes. "The ways to which you are referring would do my organization little good and probably me even less. I've told you I'm not interested, Haelga. You're wasting your breath and causing a scene."

The older woman pouted. Devout followers of the goddess Dibella were known to be quite promiscuous, and while Nesta could say the same of herself and several of her sisters, they didn't flaunt themselves, and they knew how to take 'no' for an answer. She approached the table, leaning her front against the back of Brynjolf's chair, placing her delicate hands on top of his strong shoulders. He looked back over his shoulder in surprise but relaxed when he saw who it was. For some reason, he trusted the elf, and if she had a way to get Haelga to leave him alone, finally, he'd let her work her magic.

"Hello, Haelga," Nesta stated in the same low voice she had used when collecting debts earlier.

The blonde, who had originally scowled at Nesta's approach, was suddenly wide eyed. She had made the connection and realized the Altmer woman who had innocently visited her Bunkhouse earlier in the day wasn't so innocent. She stood straight and met Nesta's golden eyes. "Brynjolf and I were having a conversation," she stated haughtily, though Nesta could see the fear and uncertainty in the other woman's gaze. "You're interrupting."

"The only thing I'm interrupting," Nesta replied, "is a desperate, poor excuse for a woman who has zero self-respect and is probably crawling with disease."

Haelga gasped and stared at Nesta, slack-jawed.

"You think your worship of Dibella makes you something of a sex goddess yourself, though I have all the confidence in the world you're probably a rather boring lay. I'd find out for myself and more than likely teach you a few things in the process if I weren't afraid I'd end up with crotch crabs as a result." Haelga frowned and started to say something, but Nesta interrupted and continued. "Why don't you go worship your goddess with willing participants? A man like Brynjolf is far too good for you, and you look like a fool throwing yourself at a man who clearly doesn't want you. You're a disgrace to women as a whole. Now move along before I decide to do our entire sex a favor and eliminate an embarrassment."

Haelga huffed but stalked away, leaving the inn altogether.

Brynjolf began to laugh, loudly, garnering the attention of the other patrons as Nesta took a seat at the table with him. "That was good," he stated when he'd stopped laughing, still smiling from ear to ear. "Thank you, Nesta. I don't think she'll ever bother me again."

Nesta chuckled and shrugged. "You can't pussyfoot around with some women. Dibella devotees are the worst. Even back home in the Isles," she told him. "The priestesses are one thing. They conduct themselves respectively and practice their arts with pilgrims who visit the temples. And they're orgies," she whistled appreciatively, "they're really something. I can tell you that from experience."

The man looked surprised for a moment then chuckled and shook his head.

"But women like Haelga are pathetic," she continued. "I've seen many like her through the years. They think they're the goddess' gift to men, but what they really are is desperation personified, sleeping with anyone willing, married or not. It's disgraceful. Plus, I paid a visit to Haelga without the disguise earlier as I hadn't met her yet and wanted to know what I was dealing with, and she's a miserably rude woman. Someone needed to put her in her place."

Brynjolf chuckled.

They were interrupted by Talen-Jei, delivering Brynjolf's order. "Can I get you anything, Nesta?" he asked, glancing curiously between the two, probably wondering how they knew each other.

"I'll take Keerava's special today and another of your White-Gold Towers," she replied, passing him some coins.

He nodded and left.

Brynjolf leaned toward her and spoke in a low voice. "Are you sure you want to be seen with me in public?"

Nesta shrugged. "Just because I'm seen dining with a handsome man at the inn doesn't mean I'm involved in his business," she replied. "If anyone asks, I can stand up for myself."

"Of that, I have no doubt," he replied with a smile, digging into his roasted goat leg. "So what brings you to Skyrim?"

"My siblings and I fled our homeland as fugitives of the Thalmor," Nesta replied, smiling in thanks as Talen-Jei delivered her order.

Brynjolf looked impressed. "What did you do to piss those elves off?" he wondered.

"Broke into one of their forts to free our brother," she replied as if it was nothing, "and attempted to do the same for our parents but were unsuccessful. Even back home, the Thalmor have people who don't appreciate their methods and rule."

"And you ended up in Riften?" he asked. "Where are your siblings?"

"I actually don't know," she replied between bites of her roasted goat. "We were separated. I fled Helgen when the dragon attacked and then found myself in Ivarstead. I stayed there for a few weeks, working, adventuring a bit, but ultimately, small town life doesn't interest me. I came here, and your organization appeals to some of my less-than-popular talents."

Brynjolf nodded. "I hear you were quite successful today," he commented. "All the payments received, no bloodshed, and a healthy dose of fear and respect placed within the public again. I'm impressed but not surprised. I sensed something in you when we met, and I see more potential in you than I do in most of the snot-nosed footpads that stumble their way into the Flagon. Given the way you handled yourself today, I'd say you've more than earned a position in our outfit. I'm willing to put my neck on the line for you because we need people like you. Don't let me down."

"I won't," Nesta promised.

Brynjolf finished his meal and stood, leaving a tip beside his plate. "I'll meet you at the Flagon later," he stated quietly. Then, in a louder voice, he added, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Nesta. Enjoy your time in our fair city."

Nesta smiled as he left and continued eating.

"Be careful who you associate with," Talen-Jei warned quietly as he cleaned up after Brynjolf. "Brynjolf is in deep with the Thieves' Guild. One of their top men. He's not to be trusted."

Nesta narrowed her eyes at the Argonian. "I'm not sure whose company I choose to enjoy is any of your business, Talen-Jei. You've been kind to me, and while I appreciate your concern, I assure you, I can look after myself."

The man simply nodded and walked away.


	8. The Guild

Chapter Four: The Guild (Turdas, Fourth of Hearthfire)

Nesta was greeted with a bit more acceptance upon her arrival at the Flagon around midnight. The bouncer near the ramp simply nodded as she passed, and Vekel congratulated her on a job well done and served her a fresh mug full of mead when she took a seat at the bar. It wasn't long before Brynjolf took a seat beside her, wearing his guild master's armor, similar to hers but black in color and extremely well fitting on his exquisite form. She passed him the payment.

"Good work," he stated, handing her a portion of it.

"What's next?" she asked.

He grinned. "Eager for more work? That's the spirit. Larceny's in your blood, lass. I think you'll do more than fit in around here."

"So what's the story with the rough patch the Guild is in?" Nesta asked. "From what I heard here last night, it isn't just the townfolk who are talking. The men here seem discouraged as well."

Brynjolf sighed. "It's a bit of bad luck, but nothing to be concerned about," he replied. "Tell you what. You keep making us coin and let me worry about everything else. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough," Nesta replied with a shrug.

"How about you follow me, and I'll show you what we're all about?"

Nesta was led through a hidden door located within a cupboard in the storage area behind the Flagon, emerging in a huge underground room with high, rounded ceilings, known as the Cistern, the base of the Thieves' Guild's operation. A large pool of water was in the center of the room with stone walkways stretching over it, a rounded stone meeting area in the center. Around the pool were beds, chests, storage shelves, tables, and chairs in various areas and alcoves. Brynjolf showed Nesta a training room, located through tunnels off the main area, as well the bed which would be hers, pointed out the vault, and the guildmaster's desk located right beside it.

An older man stood leaned over the desk, his light brown hair showing streaks of gray. He appeared to be of Breton descent and, though he didn't have a beard, his face was scruffy, looking as though he hadn't shaved in several days. He wore armor like Brynjolf's.

"That's Mercer Frey," Brynjolf told her quietly. "He's our guildmaster. He runs all the background affairs, dealing with money and our more influential clients and jobs. There are three others who wear the guildmaster's armor, though we rank below Mercer. They call us the Guild Thirds. Myself - I handle the clients and securing other forms of income for the guild; Delvin Mallory - he handles our jobs with a more personal touch, the fishing, numbers, and bedlam jobs; and Vex - she's in charge of procuring and assigning the more traditional breaking and entering sorts of jobs, burglary, heists and the like. Delvin and Vex almost always have assignments to hand out. Though the jobs are harder to come by as of late, there aren't as many of us, so there's still work to be found. Occassionally, Mercer and I may approach you with a big job if we think you're right for it." He stepped closer to the guildmaster's desk. "Mercer, this is the one I was telling you about," he stated, now speaking loud enough for the other man to hear.

Mercer stood and crossed his arms, studying Nesta. He then cast a look of exasperation in Brynjolf's direction. "This better not be another waste of the guild's resources, Brynjolf." He then stepped around his desk, standing to face Nesta and looking up to meet the tall elf's eyes. "Before we get started, let me make one thing perfectly clear. You play by the rules, and you walk away rich. You break the rules, and you lose your share. No debates, no discussions. You do what we say when we say it. Am I clear?"

Nesta nodded. "Yes, I understand." Something about the man rubbed her the wrong way. She'd always been a good judge of character, a trait that she and her sisters had all shared, and Mercer Fray did not give off a good vibe. Unlike her immediate trust of Brynjolf, she could already tell she didn't trust Mercer. He wasn't a good man. She just knew it, but he was in charge, so she'd play nice.

"Good," Mercer replied. "I think it's time we put your expertise to the test."

"Wait a moment," Brynjolf interrupted. "You're not talking about Goldenglow, are you? Even our little Vex couldn't get in."

"You claim this recruit possesses an aptitude for our line of work," Mercer replied, staring haughtily at Brynjolf. "If so, let her prove it. Goldenglow Estates is critically important to one of our largest clients," he explained, turning his attention back to Nesta. "However, the owner has suddenly decided to take matters into his own hands and shut us out. He needs to be taught a lesson. Brynjolf will fill you in on the details." Mercer began to return to his desk.

"Mercer? Aren't you forgetting something?" the other man asked.

"Hmmm?" the guildmaster replied distractedly.

Brynjolf cast him a glare.

"Oh yes. Since Brynjolf assures me you will be nothing but an asset to our organization, you're in. Welcome to the Thieves' Guild."

Nesta followed Brynjolf away from Mercer toward the door that led back into the Ragged Flagon. Her instincts told her Mercer was trying to set her up for failure. For some reason, he didn't want her in the guild, and he'd given her a job that even one of their master's had failed at trying to accomplish, assuming she would fail as well. She was going to prove him wrong or die trying.

"Goldenglow Estates is a bee farm located on an island outside the city," Brynjolf explained as they stopped and sat on the edge of Nesta's bed. "It's been a sweet deal. The owner, a wood elf named Aringoth, paid us to keep the competition at bay, so he was the only one providing Maven Black-Briar with the honey she needs for her meadery. All of a sudden, though, he's stopped shipping honey to Maven's business, and the payments to us have stopped as well. We have no idea what's going on, and Maven is pissed. When we sent Vex to investigate, she found an army of mercenaries there instead of the usual handful of city guards. Something is going on, and we want to know what. There are two objectives to this job. First, we want at least a lead to figure out what made Aringoth stop cooperating. It can't be benefiting him. Black-Briar Meadery was his biggest client. Second, send a message. Clear out Aringoth's safe, located in the basement of his home, and set fire to three of the beehives. That's not enough to interrupt the flow of honey if he decides to start cooperating with Maven again, but it will certainly remind him we're not to be trifled with, and the smoke from the burning hives will also be visible from the city, further reminding the public that the Thieves' Guild is still here and still has power." Brynjolf sighed and rested his large hand on Nesta's knee. "I'm not sure why Mercer felt the need to give you this job. It's dangerous, for certain, but something tells me you can handle it, and if you're successful, it will earn you heaps of respect."

Nesta nodded.

"Now come," Brynjolf said, standing. "I've got one more thing to show you in here, and I'll introduce you to your guild brothers and sisters."

The one more thing Brynjolf had to show her was a secret entrance to the Cistern, located up a ladder on the other side of the pool. According to Brynjolf, it lead to a false tomb in the city's cemetary and could be accessed by pushing a button on the side of the stone casket that was disguised as a metal emblem. "Comes in handy for quick escapes," he commented with a grin. "Ah, here's one of our lovely ladies," he stated as they walked away from the ladder to see a dark-haired Breton woman leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Nesta recognized her as the woman she had seen arguing with the young Redguard on her first day in Riften. "Sapphire, this is our newest member, Nesta," Brynjolf stated. "Nesta, meet Sapphire."

The woman narrowed her eyes at Nesta but received her handshake.

"Sapphire, huh?" Nesta questioned.

"They call me that because I like to steal them," she replied with a smirk.

"So what's your real name?" Nesta wondered.

"I don't know you well enough for that yet," Sapphire answered with a shrug. "But for what it's worth, there were only two women in the guild before you arrived. You're number three. We stick together, and we always have each other's back when necessary. You need any help or advice, you know where to find me."

Nesta thanked her and followed Brynjolf to an area across a bridge where two men stood. One was practicing archery on a dummy located in the water, and the other seemed to be heckling him.

"Here we have Cynric Endell," he stated. The archer removed his hood, revealing that he was a Breton, and set his bow down. "Cynric, meet our newest member, Nesta. Cynric here has been in the Guild almost as long as I have been. If you need any practice or training on lockpicking, he's the one to help you."

Cynric grinned. "I can pick any lock blindfolded before you've even removed your picks from your pocket," he boasted.

Nesta smirked and turned to the other man after receiving Cynric's handshake.

"And here we have Rune," Brynjolf stated with a nod toward the Imperial man.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nesta," Rune stated, shaking her hand. "Welcome to the Guild. Brynjolf has spoken highly of you already."

"Nice to meet you," Nesta replied simply.

The next member they met was a Bosmer who emerged from the training room as they passed.

"Niruin, meet Nesta, our newest member," Brynjolf stated, garnering the man's attention. "Niruin is our trainer in marksmenship," he informed Nesta.

"You any good with that thing?" he asked with a nod toward the bow on Nesta's back.

"She killed Hewnon Black-Skeever with a single arrow through his eye," Brynjolf stated proudly, surprising Nesta, who hadn't realized the Nord had retraced her steps through the Ratway.

"Impressive," Niruin commented with a smile.

Nesta shrugged in thanks, not really certain that killing a man was worthy of praise.

"And here's Thrynn," Brynjolf commented to a fellow Nord sitting in a chair they passed on their way back to the Flagon. "Thrynn, meet Nesta."

The man gave a slight wave with a smile. "Welcome," he stated.

"And finally, Viper," Brynjolf announced as they made it to the door to the Flagon where another Nord was emerging. "We call him the Fleet," he added with a grin.

"Why?" Nesta asked.

Viper rolled his eyes, but answered her question. "It's because of a job a few years back. It was supposed to be a simple burglary on a house in Windhelm," he explained. "I was working with Vex. We got into the house easy enough, found the loot, and made our way out."

"That sounds fairly normal for a burglary," Nesta commented.

"Well, it was, up until the point we stepped outside," Viper replied. "The house was surrounded with guards. The client had set us up. Vex just told me to run, so I did. Half of them followed me, the other half followed her. Vex got away with no trouble. Once she steps into the shadows, she vanishes. Me . . . I ran and ran and ran . . . straight through the city gates and all the way back to Riften. Vex was waiting for me in the Flagon when I arrived drenched in sweat. Everyone just looked at me and laughed. I had forgotten we had our horses stabled outside of Windhelm. Vex had ridden hers back and arrived hours before I did. That's how I earned the nickname."

Nesta chuckled and extended her hand to shake his. "I'm Nesta."

"Welcome," he stated. "A lot of the folks around here are tough characters. They're just interested in doing jobs and aren't out to make friends. I'm not like that. If you ever want to talk about anything at all, let me know."

Nesta smiled in thanks and followed Brynjolf back into the Flagon.

"You've met Vekel," he commented with a nod toward the bartender, "and that's Dirge," he added with a nod toward the bouncer.

Ah, so that was Maul's brother. Nesta wasn't surprised.

"And this is Tonilia," he said with a smile toward an older Redguard woman sitting at the bar. "She's the fence around here. If you have any stolen goods you can't sell elsewhere, she'll take them off your hands. She's also who you see for replacement armor and the like."

"Welcome to the cozy family, Nesta," the woman replied with a smile.

"She and Vekel have a thing going," Brynjolf stated quietly as they walked away. "I'm sort of surprised she didn't threaten you about it. She usually feels the need to mark her territory." They approached a table where two people wearing guildmaster's armor sat. "And here we have our other two Guild Thirds," he stated, pulling out a chair and motioning for Nesta to sit. "Vex, Delvin, this is Nesta. I leave her in your capable hands. See you later, lass."

Brynjolf walked away, and she turned to the other two she now sat with.

Vex, an attractive Imperial woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, spoke first. "Before we begin, I want to make two things perfectly clear," she stated. "One, I'm the best infiltrator this rathole of a guild's got, so if you think you're here to replace me, you're dead wrong. And two, you follow my lead. You do exactly as I say . . . no questions, no excuses."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nesta replied.

"Then we understand each other," Vex replied with a smirk. "Now it's time to get your feet wet. I have a burglary job right here in Riften. It's best to get started close to home." She handed Nesta a piece of paper with instructions on it. "If you're caught, saying you're with the guild usually does a lot to get the guards to look the other way here in Riften."

"Alright," Nesta answered, tucking the paper into her pocket. "Mercer assigned me the Goldenglow job," she stated, to Vex's obvious surprise. "I heard you ran into some trouble there."

Vex made a noise that sounded like an irritated expulsion of breath. "Yeah, I did," she replied. "That wood elf s'wit. He's a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. Can you believe that fetcher more than tripled the guard? There's got to be close to twenty there. It was like he was begging us to come and get him."

"Any advice?" Nesta asked.

"There's an old sewer tunnel on the northwest side of the island," Vex replied. "That's how I slipped in. Should still be unguarded."

Nesta nodded.

"Lemme guess," Delvin, a middle-aged balding Breton, commented with a smirk, "Brynjolf plucked you off the streets and plopped you right in the thick of things without telling you which way is up. Am I right?"

"I could probably use some advice," Nesta admitted humbly.

Delvin grinned. "Now that's the attitude of someone who wants to get rich and stay alive long enough to enjoy it. You and me will get along just fine." He, too, passed her a piece of paper. "It's a numbers job, right here in Riften. You break into the business and alter their books to cover the losses we're responsible for, keeps our actions undetected a bit longer."

"Thanks," Nesta replied.

"You staying here in the Cistern?" Vex wondered as Nesta stood.

"Eventually," she replied, "but I've got a room at the Bee and Barb paid through the weekend, and I'm guessing Keerava isn't big on refunds."

Delvin laughed at that. "Good luck at Goldenglow, kid," he stated.

"Thanks," she replied, "but I make my own luck."

Both of them chuckled at that, and she heard Delvin state, "I like her," as she walked away.


	9. Goldenglow Estate

Chapter Five: Goldenglow Estate (Fridas, Fifth of Hearthfire; Loreredas, Sixth of Hearthfire)

Nesta hadn't been back to the Flagon yet, although she had completed both the jobs Vex and Delvin had given her. She'd broken into a home during the afternoon when the residents were away and stolen a jeweled flagon for Vex, and that night had snuck into the offices at the Riften Fishery and altered their books for Delvin.

Both jobs had gone through without a hitch, and now she was swimming across the lake to the island where Goldenglow Estates was located. She had found that her armor was surprisingly water resistant, and rather than risk being spotted attempting to sneak across the bridge, she decided to take the direct route and swim toward the sewer entrance Vex had told her about. She found it easily, despite the darkness of night, located just at the edge of the water, below a rocky outcrop that hid it from the rest of the island. The sewer was dark and narrow, full of skeevers and traps, but getting through it wasn't terribly difficult.

She found an exit and climbed a ladder, emerging in the darkness just outside the main doorway to the Bosmer's mansion. She picked the lock and entered, sneaking through. She'd been told not to worry about killing mercenaries, but if possible, to keep Aringoth alive. She crept through the house, avoiding detection easily. Twice it was clear she wasn't going to be able to get by a mercenary where he was stationed, so she took them out with an arrow to the back of their necks then hid the bodies to avoid detection from the others (something that wasn't exactly easy, considering they were all big, burly men).

Nesta made her way upstairs and found Aringoth, an elderly Bosmer, in his bedroom, sitting in a chair near the window. He didn't look terribly surprised to see her.

"Worthless mercenaries," he muttered. "I didn't think either Mercer or Maven would let me get away with this, but I had little choice."

"I'd like the key to your safe, please," Nesta stated, standing in front of him, dagger in hand.

"I can't," he replied with a shake of his head. "If I hand that over, I may as well cut my own throat."

"If you don't, I'll cut it for you," Nesta threatened.

"I don't believe you," he answered. "That's not the Guild's way."

"I'm new, and I was chosen for this job for a reason," Nesta informed him.

He sighed but reached into his pocket, handing her the key.

"Why did you do all this if you didn't want to?" she asked.

"I've said too much already," the old man replied. "You got what you came for. Just go. Clear out the safe. I won't alert the mercenaries that you're here. I'll probably be a dead man, regardless."

Nesta nodded. Her eyes were caught by a bejeweled bee statuette sitting on a stand near the door, so she grabbed it on her way out. She heard Aringoth start to argue, but when she shot him a look, he shut up. "Just to make sure you don't alert the mercenaries," she stated, returning to his side. She tied his hands to the arms of the chair he sat in with some rope she had carried and gagged him with a sash she found sitting on the chest near his bed.

Nesta made her way back downstairs and found the entrance to the basement, blocked by an iron gate that she easily picked. Unfortunately she was spotted by a mercenary in the process. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she was able to fire off an arrow, hitting him right in the throat, before he could alert any of his comrades.

The basement was dark and musty. Three more mercenaries guarded the area. She was able to sneak by all but one, though the idiot must have gotten drunk because in his surprise, he managed to knock over his mead and the candle that was on the table. The mead ignited, and he caught fire, running around the room, screaming, before passing out due to the shock of the experience. The other two basement guards rushed in to see what was going on just before he passed out. One got the fire on his fellow mercenary put out, and the other extinguished the flames on the table. Both muttering about the other guy always being too drunk to ever do a job correctly. They carried him from the room, and Nesta decided she'd better hurry before he woke up and remembered what had startled him and caused his clumsiness.

Finding the safe, she cleared it out quickly, tucking its entire contents into the bag she carried over her shoulder without inspecting it. She needed to get out before either that mercenary rose the alarm, or one of them discovered Aringoth tied up, and she still had to destory some of the beehives.

Finding another sewer entrance in the basement, not far from the room where the safe was, she made her way back to the original place she'd snuck in and crept through the shallows around the island to where the beehives were located. She decided the fastest way to do this was to use destruction magic to catch them on fire, hopefully as quickly as possible. She could see several mercenaries nearby carrying torches, and they'd be alerted as soon as the flames rose. She stood behind the hives and quickly fired off three bursts of flame from her palms toward three of the large hives. They began to smolder and took off in full blaze much faster than she had expected. She stood, shocked for a moment, before yelling nearby alerted her to the approaching mercenaries. She turned and ran to the edge of the island, jumping off the rocks onto the sand below and diving into the lake.

Nesta swam beneath the surface of the water for as long as she could manage to hold her breath. When she surfaced, she was far enough from the island that she knew she wouldn't be detected. She finished swimming to shore and climbed a tree to rest. She was tired and sopping wet. Arriving back in Riften in such a state would only raise questions, especially when news of what had happened at Goldenglow spread. She'd dry off in the branches of the tree, high above the ground, just in case any of the guards came to shore looking for the culprit, and she'd return to Riften after a few hours had passed.

* * *

It was still dark when Nesta returned to Riften, though it was nearly dawn. She made her way through town, sticking to the shadows if possible. She was carrying stolen goods, after all, and she was certain news of the theft and vandalizing of Goldenglow Estates would have reached the city guard by now. She followed the path that went behind the houses along the edge of the wall to the cemetery, easily hiding from the few guards she saw in the shadows of the buildings. She pressed the button on the stone coffin within the mausoleum, and watched as it slid back, revealing a set of stone steps leading into the ground. At the bottom of the steps was a chain, which she pulled, closing the entrance behind her. She then climbed through a sewer hatch that led to the ladder and directly into the Cistern.

The beds were empty, and she assumed most of her guild brethren were out on jobs or at the Flagon. Thieves lived nocturnal lives, and she gathered one would be more apt to finding people using those beds during the daylight. Mercer, however, was sound asleep in a bed behind his desk, and she chose not to wake him. Instead, she made her way into the Flagon where Brynjolf was the first to notice her.

"I'm glad to see you, lass," he commented as she sat beside him on a stool. "Word on the street is Goldenglow's been hit. Three hives were destroyed, the safe was emptied, and a few other items of value were stolen from around the estate. Aringoth was found tied to a chair and gagged but isn't talking. You did well. I'm proud. The guild is proud. Mercer and Maven will both be pleased."

"Nice work," Vex commented with a grin as she bought Nesta a drink.

"I also completed your job," Nesta informed her, pulling the flagon from her bag and passing it to her.

The other woman was pleased and paid her for her work. Delvin did the same.

"So what did you find?" Brynjolf asked.

"I don't even know," Nesta replied with a chuckle as she began pulling the items from the safe out of her bag. "Aringoth wouldn't tell me anything," she explained, "and I didn't take the time to look at what I stole."

There was plenty of gold, from which Brynjolf took 200 septims to pay Nesta for the job, and a piece of paper. He opened it and read it. "I'll be damned," he commented. "The old elf sold Goldenglow. What was that idiot thinking? He has no idea of Maven's fury when she's been cut of a deal, but my guess is he'll find out soon enough. Doesn't say who he sold it to. Just this odd symbol." He showed it to Nesta. "Mercer will find this interesting."

"Do you know this Golum-El that's mentioned?" Nesta asked, leaning into the man to read the bill of sales.

"Aye," he replied. "He's a contact we have who works for the East Empire Trading Company in Solitude. He hasn't been living up to his end of our bargain either. If he brokered this sale, and he's holding out on us, I'll bet there's more to this. Someone wants to hit the guild hard, and they're doing it by messing with our biggest clients." He stood. "I'm going to go show this to Mercer. Come find me later."


	10. Windhelm

Chapter Six: Windhelm (Loredas, Sixth of Hearthfire; Sundas, Seventh of Hearthfire; Morndas, Eighth of Hearthfire; Tirdas, Ninth of Hearthfire)

"You up for some work, girl?" Delvin asked, joining Nesta at the table where she sat at the Ragged Flagon.

"Absolutely," she replied with a smile. "What have you got?"

"You were so good at that numbers job, I've got another for you," he replied, passing her a slip of paper. "This one's in Windhelm, the general merchandiser there, Sadri's Used Goods, in the Grey Quarter. We're planning on hitting Windhelm hard the next few weeks, so plan on getting acquainted with the city."

"Why?" Nesta asked.

"Years ago, the Guild had a foothold in every major city in Skyrim," the older man replied. "You wouldn't even dare to lift an apple without asking our permission. When things started going downhill around here, it became difficult to maintain a presence elsewhere. We lost fences, influential clients, and coin. We began to lose the one thing we need most to survive. . . respect. We aim to change that."

"How will hitting Windhelm with jobs do that?"

"By doing these small jobs, we're putting ourselves out there," he explained. "If we hit Windhelm with one job after another, people will remember who we are. We'll garner their fear, and their respect, and we'll hopefully attract some influential clients. Here in Riften, because of our ties with Maven Black-Briar, we've still got influence. You get caught in the act, it doesn't take much for the guards to look the other way. Get arrested in any other city in Skyrim, you'll be thrown right in prison, no questions asked. If we get some influential clients in each city, that'll change. We're starting in Windhelm."

"So, basically, we're taking Skyrim back one city at a time?" Nesta confirmed.

"Precisely," Delvin replied with a grin.

"What happened, anyway?" she wondered. "How did things get so bad?"

He sighed and glanced around. "Awful, ain't it? Look around. The Flagon, the Guild . . . it's all falling apart. A decade ago, this place was as busy as the Imperial City. Now, you're lucky if you don't trip over a skeever. Damn shame is what it is." He took a sip of his mead. "If you ask me, we're cursed. I know the others think I'm daft for saying that, but I'm going to give it to you straight. Someone, or something, out there is piss-drunk mad at us. It's beyond just a string of bad luck, I'm telling you."

"So what do we do?" Nesta asked.

"I'll tell you what we do," Delvin replied vehemently. "We spit in that curse's face. We work our arses off and turn things around down here. Get it back to how it used to be. Vex, Brynjolf, and I have been trying behind the scenes, looking for jobs and skimming our own savings to cover Guild expenses. Mercer doesn't seem to give a rat's ass about the problems. I don't know what his problem is, and I'll deny it if you tell him I said this, but that man has turned out to be a piss poor Guild Master. Old Gallus must be rolling over in his grave."

"Who's Gallus?"

"He was the Guild Master back when I joined," Delvin explained. "A good man. Smart, cunning. A real charmer and a good leader. He was killed on a job by someone he trusted. Mercer took over, but he devoted so much time and resources to tracking down Gallus' killer, the organization started falling apart around him, and we've never been on even ground since."

"Did he ever find the killer?" Nesta asked.

Delvin shook his head. "She was a great thief. A good woman. Still can't believe she killed Gallus. Karliah was one of the best, and she and Gallus were smitten with each other. They had that kind of love you don't see very often, or so I thought."

"Doesn't sound like she would be the one to kill him," Nesta commented.

"Certainly doesn't," Delvin agreed. "But Mercer swore it was her, and everyone believed him. Now I ain't saying he's a liar, but it just don't add up to me. Didn't then, still doesn't. But Karliah's never come back to try to clear her name, and his word against ours. Most folks were so outraged over Gallus' death, they went right along with him on his hunt for her, no questions asked. A few of us took some convincing. And just a few, myself and Brynjolf included, didn't participate. We were more concerned with keeping the Guild running, and I'd imagine, if it weren't for our efforts back then, we'd be even worse off than we are now."

"How long ago was this?"

"About eleven, twelve years ago," he answered. "I'd already been in the Guild for close to a decade. Brynjolf and Vex were our newest recruits, just a year or so in, but like you, they earned respect quickly and climbed up the ranks."

"I'm earning respect quickly?" Nesta teased with a smirk.

Delvin just laughed. "How about you go fishing for shiny things instead of compliments?"

Nesta laughed as well. "Oh hey, speaking of shiny things. While I've got your attention, know anything about this?" She pulled out the golden bejeweled bee statuette she had taken from Goldenglow. "I found it at Goldenglow, and it didn't look like something I wanted to leave behind."

"Well, well, ain't that a pretty thing," he commented, lifting it up and looking it over. "I'm willing to bet there ain't another like it in Skyrim. I'll glady take this off your hands. Five hundred septims sound fair?"

Nesta's eyes widened. "Sure thing," she replied. That statue, which had been taken on a whim and only took a few seconds to nab, had just earned her close to what she'd made in all of the jobs she'd done for the Guild so far combined.

"You ever find any other unique items like this in your travels, bring 'em to me," Delvin instructed. "I'll pay good coin for them, and they'll look lovely on the display shelf in the Cistern. Gallus used to have quite the collection there. Reminded the members what was out there for the taking, but the pieces have all been lost over the years. Greedy thieves with too much time on their hands and not enough work to keep their pockets full."

For some reason, Nesta believed Mercer had more to do with the disappearance of Gallus' items. She didn't trust him, and she was beginning to suspect he may have something to do with the harsh times the Guild had found itself in.

Vex approached after Delvin had wandered off. "Did Mallory tell you about Windhelm?" she asked.

"He did," Nesta replied. "We're taking back Skryim one city at a time."

"We are," Vex confirmed with a nod. "There was a time we had the best of everything down here. The Ratway was a damn palace. The Flagon was a city beneath a city. It had its own blacksmith, alchemist, you name it. If we spread our influence again, I can almost guarantee those merchants will return, and we'll be on our way back to the good old days."

"I'm happy to help," Nesta told her. "What's my mark in Windhelm?"

* * *

Nesta had only been in Windhelm for a grand total of three minutes, and she'd already decided two things. The weather was horrible, and the people were assholes.

She made her way into Candlehearth Hall, the city's inn and tavern, located directly inside the main gate, and brushed the snow off her cloak, still shivering from the cold despite the warm atmosphere in the inn. She approached the counter where a blonde Nord greeted her and booked herself a room for the night. Delvin wanted her to get acquainted with the city, familiarize herself with the layout. He claimed it would make her jobs easier.

Two other guild members, Vipir and Niruin, would actually be doing the bulk of the footwork in Windhelm. The plan was, Nesta would perform her two jobs the following night and get a feel for the city, pick out some marks and develop a plan. She'd return to Riften with said plan, then Viper and Niruin would perform the jobs. Nesta had a supervisory role in the crime spree, something that surprised her. Brynjolf claimed it was because he, Delvin, and Vex couldn't be away from headquarters for too long at a time, but Vex had been more up front with the Altmer.

"We're grooming you for leadership, Nes," she had told her. "Brynjolf saw something in you, and Delvin and me, we see it, too. So far you've done nothing but proven us right. We need someone in a leadership role out in the field who can be trusted, especially if our plan works and jobs start taking us further from home."

The hope was that by the end of those two weeks of crime at the hands of Niruin and Vipir, under the direction of Nesta, the city of Windhelm and its residents would remember just who the Thieves' Guild was.

After dropping her few things off in her room, Nesta made her way upstairs to the tavern, taking a seat close to the fire while she waited for her dinner of potato soup to arrive. She couldn't shake the chill from the damn blizzard she'd arrived in. A blizzard in Hearthfire! Who'd ever heard of such a thing? She couldn't imagine why anyone would choose to live in this frigid city.

The thief was halfway through her meal when her attention was caught by commotion caused by the other patrons greeting someone who had just arrived. At first, she wasn't terribly interested in who it was they were all so happy to see, but when she heard the name Elain, followed by a familiar voice, she looked up.

There, across the room, talking to an old gray-haired Nord warrior, stood her sister, dressed in a red dress.

"Well, I'll be damned," Nesta commented, watching as Elain continued to greet the other patrons. She seemed to know everyone, and surpringly, she was well liked. Not surprisingly because her sister wasn't likeable, but rather because Elain much preferred blending in and sticking to the shadows.

As the other Altmer woman made her way around the room, her eyes finally landed on Nesta and widened considerably. She rushed to her side, and the two women embraced.

"Here I've been worried about you, and you're a damn celebrity in this ridiculously cold excuse for a city," Nesta stated as they stepped apart.

"Damn it's good to see you," Elain replied with a wide smile. She gestured for Nesta to return to her seat and sat down as well. "What are you doing here?"

"Work," Nesta replied with a shrug.

Elain narrowed her eyes. "Work? What kind of work?"

While Nesta might have hesitated to tell the other members of her family what she had chosen to do to earn a living, she knew Elain would have no problem with it. Her moral fiber was even less tightly wound than Nesta's. "I'm a member of the Thieves' Guild," she replied quietly.

Elain frowned. "I'd heard they weren't doing well in Skyrim," she commented.

"They haven't been," Nesta replied, "but I'm here to change that."

"Of course you are," her sister answered with a laugh. "Just stay out of my house."

"You own a home in Windhelm?" Nesta asked in surprise.

"I do," she answered. "You're looking at a Thane of Eastmarch complete with my own property in the city. Are you staying here? You can't. I insist you come home with me. We'll catch up in the privacy of my home."

Nesta agreed and grabbed her things from her room, following her sister out of the inn.

Elain lead Nesta through the snow covered streets, pulling their cloaks tight around themselves against the biting wind. They walked behind the inn and followed a narrow street through a cemetary and up a set of stone steps into an area of town where the wealthier populace of Windhelm obviously lived. The homes were large and ornately built with iron fences surrounding them.

Her sister's home was large, a bit darker than Nesta would have liked, but it was nicely furnished and warm, so Nesta couldn't complain. Elain introduced her to her housecarl, Calder, a young Nord warrior who looked suspiciously upon Nesta's Thieves' Guild armor.

"Calder, this is my sister, Nesta," Elain explained. "I will be giving her a key to my home, and she is free to come and go as she pleases. She is welcome to stay here and have access to any of my supplies whenever she needs, whether I am at home or not."

Calder didn't look thrilled about the idea, but Elain didn't give him any room to argue. "Yes, my Thane," he replied.

"Now, I would like some privacy to catch up with my sister. Why don't you take some coins and go pay a visit to Candlehearth Hall?"

Calder nodded and left the house.

"I don't think your housecarl was impressed by my uniform," Nesta commented with a smirk.

Elain rolled her eyes. "He's loyal, though more to Stormcloak than to me, but his orders are to serve me, and he fulfills those orders well. He guards the house when I'm away, but he's not much for conversation. He's bigoted and sexist and far too straight laced for my liking."

She then gave Nesta a tour of her home. The downstairs had a large kitchen, the main sitting room, a small bedroom, belonging to Calder, and a hidden room off the sitting room set up as an alchemy laboratory and enchanting lab. Upstairs was a large armory, which Nesta was certain Aerenwen would admire, and two more bedrooms - the master bedroom and a guest room.

The sisters then took seats near the fire in the kitchen, and Nesta told Elain her story.

"Aerenwen survived the dragon attack," Elain told her afterward.

"Really? You've seen her?" Nesta asked excitedly.

"No, but I met a Stormcloak soldier named Ralof who was taken prisoner with her," she replied. "He saw her make it into the keep away from the dragon and seemed to trust the person she was escaping with. He felt certain they would've made it out. That's how I ended up in Windhelm. Ralof and I met outside of Helgen after the attack, and he noticed my resemblence to our sister. He offered for me to travel to Windhelm with him. I hadn't planned on staying, but I helped solve a string of murders being commited in the city by a necromancer and was given the title of Thane and this home. Ulfric Stormcloak . . . you know who he is?"

Nesta nodded.

"He's a horse's ass and wasn't thrilled that I wouldn't join his cause in the war, but the general public thinks so much of me now after I brought down the murderer, he didn't have much of a choice but to still grant me the title," Elain continued. "Anyway, Windhelm isn't the greatest. Ulfric is a horrible Jarl, and his bigotry has spread to some of his subjects, but there are some good people here, and I'd like to help them if I can. It's miserably cold, but it's safe. The one benefit of having the leader of the rebels being the Jarl is there will never be a Thalmor official in the city. It's nice to have a home to call my own where I can rest my head without worrying about watching my back."

"I don't blame you there," Nesta replied. "I've been living out of inns. Now that I'm in the Guild, I'm invited to stay at the Ratway and will be doing so when I return to Riften. It's safe. Like you said, no worries about Thalmor. But it's damp and musty - underground sewers. Doesn't exactly scream home sweet home, but it will do for now. Who knows? Maybe I'll impress the Jarl and earn myself a home like you did," she added with a wink.

"If anyone could, I'm sure it would be you," Elain replied with a smile. "But know, you're always welcome here. My home is your home, sister."

"Thanks," Nesta answered. "I'll be in and out of Windhelm on business over the next couple of weeks. It will be nice to have a friendly place to lay my head."

"Why all the business here?" Elain wondered.

"Well, as you said earlier, the Thieves' Guild has fallen on some hard times," Nesta replied. "We still have a lot of influence in our home base of Riften, as well as a fence and some influential clientele. But in the rest of Skyrim, we've got nothing. No clients, no support, no respect. A few of us are working to change that, although our Guild Master seems as though he could care less. We're starting in Windhelm. The hope is if we have a decent crime spree here, people will remember who we are and realize we still hold some power in Skyrim, and hopefully, we'll pick up some influential supporters."

Elain nodded. It made sense. "Well, I could be a contact for you here in Windhelm," she offered. "I probably won't have any jobs of my own for you people. You know I like to handle my own affairs, but I could be an inside person. Listen for rumors or other jobs and the like. I would simply ask that your people stay out of my home and the home of Brunwulf Free-Winter. He's a good man, and he's really trying to make a difference in the city and help those who are stigmatized by the other Nords. I have hopes that when the Stormcloaks lose this conflict, he will be placed in the position of Jarl."

"You think the Stormcloaks will lose?" Nesta asked.

Elain shrugged. "The Imperial Army is backed by the Empire. Their funding is greater as is the pool to recruit soldiers from. The Stormcloaks are bleeding their own people dry to fund their war effort, and eventually people are going to have enough of it."

"I'll speak with my superiors about your offer," Nesta replied. "I'm told that our old contacts and fence from a decade ago when we were active in Windhelm are no longer here, so we'll pretty much be starting from scratch."

"What's your first job?" her sister wondered.

"I have some numbers to forge in the logs of a few businesses tomorrow night, hoping to cover our asses with some shipments we're rerouting," she replied. "I'm also to get to know the lay of land, determine some good marks, before returning back to Riften. Two colleagues of mine will be coming and going, performing jobs every night over the next few weeks, and I'm sort of overseeing it all since our superiors need to stay close to headquarters."

"Are these colleagues decent people?" Elain asked.

Nesta nodded. "Vipir and Niruin," she replied. "I trust them both. They have the Guild's best interests at heart."

"If you trust them, they're welcome to stay here as well if they'd like," Elain offered. "It would be safer, easier to avoid suspicion, and would save you all some coin."

Nesta smiled. "That would be great. If we did that, we may even be able to lay low and stick around the full two weeks rather than traveling back and forth and risk running into trouble. I'll talk to Brynjolf."

"Who's Brynjolf?" Elain asked. "By the gods, are you blushing?"

Nesta laughed. "No," she lied. "There's the Guild Master, Mercer Fray - I don't like him. And then there are what they call the Guild Thirds - Brynjolf, Vex, and Delvin Mallory. They assign the jobs, arrange contacts, that sort of stuff. Brynjolf recruited me into the Guild."

"And you like him," Elain teased.

"He's incredibly attractive," the thief replied, blushing again. "And he's smart and kind. A thief yes, but a good man. I may have a bit of a crush."

"Is it reciprocated?"

"I have no idea," Nesta answered. "He's a bit of a flirt, but he's like that with all the girls from what I can tell. But he's taken a special interest in me, and I have yet to figure out if that is just because of my talents when it comes to our trade or if there is more to it."

"Have you told him?"

Nesta shook her head. "Just over the top flirting," she laughed. "I need to get my feet on the ground and earn a name for myself in the Guild before I worry about starting anything with anyone. What about you? Anyone caught your eye?"

"No, not really," Elain replied. "I slept with that Ralof fellow on the way to Windhelm but his performace didn't exactly give Nord men a good name. I haven't really had much interest in looking for anything since arriving, honestly."

"Knowing you, that won't last long."

Elain laughed.

"I'm really glad we found each other," Nesta commented. "I hope the others are doing as well as we are."

"Me, too, Nes, me too."

* * *

Nesta entered the Ragged Flagon shortly after noon on Tirdas. She found Brynjolf sitting at the bar eating his lunch.

"Welcome back, lass," he commented with a smile. "How did laying the groundwork for our Windhelm project go?"

"Quite well," she replied. "I actually have some news."

Brynjolf raised his thick reddish eyebrows in question.

"One of my sisters has made her home in Windhelm," she explained. "She owns a home there and is a Thane of the hold. She's quite respected, and she's trustworthy. She has offered to be a contact for us and allow us to stay at her home while we're doing this, so long as we keep her home and the home of Brunwulf Free-Winter out of our little crime spree."

The man thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think we can agree to that," he replied. "Having her as a contact is more than we have now, and it's one thing to stay at the inn when you have one job to do. It's entirely different and easier to be recognized when you're working over longer periods like this. Thank her for her offer. What's her name?"

"Elain," Nesta replied.

"We'll change the plan a bit," Brynjolf commented. "You, Viper, and Niruin can remain at her home for the duration. Of course, you're welcome to come and go from Windhelm as you please, so long as you check in every few days. You're the face of the Guild during this project, lass. If we garner the attention of important clients, you'll need to be available to meet with them. Delvin or I will check in on occasion rather than conversing through carrier. That's too risky." He chugged down his mead before standing to go update the other leaders on the change in plans. "Pack your bags, lass, and dress warmly. You've seen for yourself now just how cold Windhelm is."

"Maybe I'll have to find some other way to stay warm," Nesta stated with a smirk, allowing her eyes to slowly trace the form of Brynjolf in his guildmaster's armor. "I do hope you decide to come to Windhelm instead of Delvin."

Brynjolf chuckled, and definitely blushed, before walking away shaking his head slightly. "You're going to be the death of me, lass," he muttered.


	11. Business and Pleasure

Chapter Seven: Business and Pleasure (Fridas, 12th of Hearthfire; Sundas, 14th of Hearthfire; Morndas, 15th of Hearthfire; Tirdus, 16th of Hearthfire)

Nesta loathed Windhelm, but she adored the time she had spent with her sister over the last few days. Of her four sisters and brother, Elain and Aerenwen had always been the ones Nesta was closest to. Like her, they were the adventurers whereas the other three preferred their books and experiments. Having Elain back felt as though she had one of her best friends back, and although she would be visiting Windhelm much less after this assignment was over, just knowing where Elain was and that she could go to her or correspond through letters now made her feel like she was a little less alone in the strange, wild province.

Elain, as was the norm for her, was a bit more withdrawn from the other members of the Guild who were staying in her home, but she was welcoming to them, and it wasn't long before the men, as well as Nesta, were feeling at home in her residence. Calder wasn't terribly friendly, and quite obviously displeased with their presence, but aside from the argument he and Elain had the first night the three theives were there, he hadn't said a word against them.

"My Thane, you can't possibly be alright with giving sanctuary to thieves!?" he had nearly yelled in the kitchen. He'd made no attempts to keep his voice down, and Nesta noticed her comrades, who sat with her in the great room, both tense.

"Being a thief does not make someone a bad person," Elain had replied calmly. "We all do what we must to find our way in this harsh world. From what I know, members of the Thieves Guild are held to a rather strict moral code aside from their marks, and I have absolutely no problem with opening my home to them. I promise you, if you were aware of some of the things your Thane did in order to survive, you would not be speaking so righteously now."

"I cannot stand by while they are allowed to commit crime in this city," Calder argued.

"Calder, I have welcomed these people into my home as is my right to do. It is my home, not yours," Elain had replied. "You have no proof as to who they are or what they're doing here aside from your own suspicions. If you do not approve of my guests, you are more than welcome to leave for the duration of their stay. You have been ordered by the Jarl to be my protector and to guard my home, not to lord over me and attempt to control my actions. If we are going to continue to have problems like this, I will happily go to Jarl Ulfric and tell him I am unhappy with your service and relieve you of your duties."

That had shut the Nord up. Despite his misgivings, a housecarl being shunned by their Thane was an embarrasment, and he would not have the Jarl, or anyone else, thinking he couldn't perform his duties.

After that, Nesta's comrades seemed to have developed more of a respect for Elain.

Nesta had also gotten to know both of the men quite well as they spent time together in the home talked, and she found she genuinely liked both of them.

Vipir had been a thief all his life. He'd been an orphan and ran away from the orphanage in Riften, taking to stealing as a means of survival. He managed to evade the authorities and survive the streets of Riften before he was recruited into the Guild at the young age of sixteen, just seven years before.

Niruin had not taken to the life out of survival but rather due to a desire for adventure and living above the law, which reminded Nesta a bit of herself back home. In Valenwood, Niruin had been wealthy. His father owned a successful winery, one of the finest in the province, and although he worked there, he had joined up with a group called the Silver Crescents - basically Valenwood's version of the Thieves' Guild. When his father had discovered what he was up to, he had given Niruin two choices: quit or be banished. Niruin chose the latter. He had become acquainted with Delvin, who worked a bit with the Silver Crescents when it was beneficial to the Guild, and the older man helped the young Bosmer get to Skyrim and join them. That had been six years ago.

A knock on the door in the late afternoon on Fridas had Elain getting up from where she was reading near the fire in the kitchen. She had been coming and going while the thieves were staying with her. Nesta wasn't entirely certain what business her sister had been up to, and she didn't ask. Elain was private, even when it came to her two closest sisters, and Nesta knew she would tell her what was going on when she wanted to.

Elain opened the door to see an extremely large Nord with reddish blonde hair making some sort of marks on the outside of her doorframe. She raised a single dark eyebrow in question.

"Protected," the man responded, pointing to the first mark. "This tells members of our organization that they are not to ply our trade here. And this one means 'safe'. It lets them know that if they run into trouble here and don't feel they can leave the city or stay at the inn, that they can find shelter here. You're Elain, right? Nesta told me of your offer. I've made the 'protected' shadowmark on Free-Winter's home as well."

"Thank you," Elain replied. "And you are?"

"Brynjolf," he answered.

Elain smirked. "Come in," she stated. "Make yourself to home."

He smiled and thanked her, stepping into the house. "Nice place," he commented.

Niruin emerged from the armory upstairs when he heard Brynjolf's voice. He'd been shooting a target. Viper and Nesta were both sitting in the great room playing chess. Nesta smirked at Brynjolf when she saw him, and a part of her hoped his appearance instead of Delvin's was because of what she had said to him.

The four guild members sat around the table for the next several hours, discussing their progress and receiving a few new jobs from Brynjolf. He updated them on happenings in Riften, and they joked and conversed like friends. Elain served dinner and then announced she would be away for a few days.

"You're welcome to stay here while I'm gone. If Calder causes any problems for you, let me know when I return. I shouldn't be gone longer than five days."

Nesta walked her sister to the door. "You're not going to tell me where you're going, are you?"

Elain shook her head. "I need to look into something," she replied. "If it turns out to be anything, I'll let you know."

"Be safe," the blonde elf ordered, hugging her darker haired sister goodbye. She stepped outside with her and stood, leaning against the iron fence, watching as she disappeared down the snowy street.

"You're worried," Brynjolf commented, appearing beside Nesta.

She nodded. "Elain is . . . well, she has a dark side," Nesta explained. "I can't really explain it, but I feel like something is going on. She's been more secretive than usual lately, and I think she's involved in something. I'm not against whatever it is she's doing. To each their own. I just worry for her safety, and I feel better when we have each other's backs."

Brynjolf nodded in understanding. "I'm sure she'll be fine, lass," he replied. "I don't know her well, but she seems just as capable of looking after herself as you are." He glanced over at Nesta and noticed her shivering. "You're cold." He wrapped his arm her, and she tucked herself into his warm side.

"I told you I needed you around to keep me warm," she commented with a smirk although he couldn't see it while her head was resting against his chest.

Brynjolf chuckled and positioned himself behind the Altmer woman, wrapping both his arms and his cloak around her thin frame, resting his chin on her head. "I don't know if I can do this, Nesta," he stated quietly.

She turned to see him but didn't leave his arms. She was now facing him but still tucked within his embrace and his cloak. She looked up to meet his stormy gray eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I don't usually mix business with pleasure," he explained. "When people in the Guild get involved, there's almost always problems when things don't work out. I've never had a problem sticking to my own rule before, but you're making it very difficult."

"Why is that?" she asked with a small smile.

"You're an amazing woman, Nesta," he replied. "I know that already. Beautiful, smart, quick as a whip, and so strong. You're just the sort of woman I could see myself being happy with, and it's becoming more and more of a struggle to not just take you in my arms and have my way with you, lass."

Nesta chuckled and wrapped her arms his waist. "I think you may have lost the battle because it looks to me like I'm in your arms right now."

Brynjolf laughed and shook his head. "You're incorrigable."

"I pride myself on that," she answered with a grin. "Here's what I think, Brynjolf. I think you're amazing as well. Smart, kind, and so damn handsome. I've wanted you from the moment I saw you in the marketplace that day. I don't want to pressure you into a situation you are uncomfortable with, so if it really isn't what you want, I will back off, but I think, at the least, we could have a lot of fun together, and possibly, it could even be something more. But I also think we both have the Guild's interests at heart, and if it didn't work out, we would both be able to remain professional and find a way to work together despite it."

Brynjolf nodded, taking her words in. "I don't know what I can promise you, lass. I've never had roots or people that depended on me outside the Guild. I've always been a bit of a lone wolf."

"Then why don't we just start simple and see where it goes?" she replied. "We won't put labels on it or expectations on each other, and we'll just let things happen naturally and see what comes. You just watch my back and keep my bed warm," she added with a smirk. "I'm not built for these cold Skyrim nights."

Brynjolf smirked. "I already do the first and will always do so."

"And the second?"

"I will be more than happy to oblige that, lass." He bent down and pressed his lips to hers, holding her tightly.

Nesta ran her hands over his broad chest, gripping his cloak to hold him place as their lips and tongues danced together in a hungry and intimate union. When one of his large hands trailed down her back and gripped her buttocks, pulling her tigher against him, she felt the bulge in his armor and let out a moan which resulted in Brynjolf's kiss becoming more eager. She ground herself against him, and when they parted, they were both gasping for breath.

"I have some work to do," she commented, placing her hand on his cheek and running her thumb in the growth of hair on his jawline. "I'll be back soon."

Brynjolf groaned. "I think I'm going to have to roll around in a snowbank after that."

Nesta laughed and placed a soft kiss on his full lips. "I promise I'll help you take care of that when I return." She turned and disappeared into the shadows.

The Nord watched her leave and shook his head, chuckling to himself. "That lass is a minx," he commented.

* * *

After a week in Windhelm, during which the thieves had faced nothing but success, Nesta decided to take a few days off. Elain was still away, and Brynjolf and returned to Riften. Nesta was feeling restless and had a bounty burning a hole in her pocket.

She'd been informed of some bandits posing as guards in some old fort called Nilhelm that wasn't far from Ivarstead. Jarl Laila Law-Giver was offering quite the bounty for whomever took care of their leader, a bonus for clearing out the whole group, and Nesta wanted that bounty. She also hoped, by completing this task, she would earn an audience with the Jarl. Elain's story of earning a title by solving the murders in Windhelm had inspired her sister. Perhaps, if she could get the Jarl's permission to solve the skooma problem the authorities couldn't seem to catch a break on, and she solved it, she'd end up with a house of her own. Sleeping somewhere other than the Ratway appealed to her immensely, plus, a home of her own, would afford her the privacy she'd like for a repeat of the amazing night she'd spent with Brynjolf while he was in Windhelm.

Having sex with the Nord had been better than Nesta had even imagined. He was gentle but strong, and when she showed him that she didn't need to be treated like a porcelain doll and actually liked being manhandled a bit, he was more than happy to oblige. He'd seen to her needs, something a great majority of men didn't have any desire to do, and by the end of their endeavor, she'd fallen off that plateau of ecstasy no less than three times.

Nesta had no doubt that Vipir and Niruin had heard her and had been even more certain of that fact based upon their actions the next morning. Niruin seemed embarrassed and wouldn't meet her eyes. Vipir kept looking at Brynjolf with a smirk and flashed a few winks in Nesta's direction.

Brynjolf decided to address it. "Look, what happens in our bedchambers doesn't need to be the business of the whole Guild. You may have overheard Nesta's enthusiasm last night," (Vipir snickered), "but that doesn't mean it's alright to disprespect her and start flapping your mouths and gossiping when we get back to Riften. Our private lives are our own, and what we choose to do with them is no one else's business. Am I understood?"

Vipir looked chagrined. He and Niruin both nodded.

"And furthermore, it's not an invitation for either of you to have a go at her," Brynjolf continued. "Nesta is no less mine than Tonilia is Vekel's, and anyone who disprespects either of us by assuming otherwise will quickly find themselves well acquainted with my fists. Understood?"

Again, they nodded. Vipir looked slightly surprised, probably assuming what he'd heard last night was no more than a casual roll in the furs. Nesta was a bit surprised, too, frankly. She'd promised Brynjolf they wouldn't have to put a label on what they shared right away and yet he, of his own accord, had done just that. While they may be beginning things casually, it was apparently an exclusive casual, and Nesta was pleased with that. She didn't like the idea of her handsome Nord taking anyone to bed aside from her.

* * *

Nesta was greeted enthusiastically by her friends when she arrived at the Vilemyr Inn in Ivarstead. It had only been two weeks since she'd left, but they had all worried after her. Lynnly embraced her and made sure she was well.

"You'll never believe who was here," she stated excitedly.

"Who?" Nesta asked.

"One of your sisters," the Nord replied. "Aerenwen."

Nesta's eyes widened. "She's gone?"

"Yes, but her companion is still here." Lynnly nodded toward a very attractive red-headed warrior sitting a table near the fire. "They're both members of the Companions out of Whiterun, but I suspect there's more going on between the two than a simple work relationship."

"Oh?" Nesta asked, intrigued.

Lynnly nodded. "They seem quite close and requested a room with a single bed despite having others available, and it's a personal errand that brought them to Ivarstead. They're not here on Companions' business."

"Who is she?" Nesta asked, in reference to the woman traveling with her sister.

"Aela the Huntress," her friend answered. "She's quite well known. One of the higher ranked Companions. I'm sure she'd like to meet you. She seemed just as pleased to hear that you had been here as Aerenwen was."

Nesta thanked Lynnly for the information and promised to catch up with her later.

"What's this I hear about you shacking up with my sister?" she asked the Huntress as she approached her with a grin.

The other woman chuckled, a low raspy sound. "I'm not certain I would call it 'shacking up'," she replied.

Nesta raised a single eyebrow in question. "I have it on good authority you two chose to share a room with one bed when there were other accomodations available."

"And is it entirely inconceivable that two shield-sisters would rather the safety of staying together in a strange place than sleep separately and, therefore, be more vulnerable?" Aela questioned with a smirk.

Nesta scoffed. "When one of those shield-sisters is my sister Aerenwen, then yes," she answered with a grin. "She's far too private to share a bedroom with just anyone unless absolutely necessary."

The other woman simply nodded, acknowledging what Nesta said was correct.

The elf extended her gloved hand across the table. "I'm Nesta."

"Aela," the Nord replied, receiving her handshake.

"The Huntress, I'm told," Nesta teased. "Although, I have to say, were I your prey, I'd probably lie right down for you without much of a fight."

Aela laughed outright at that. "Are you flirting with your sister's partner?"

Nesta shrugged with a smirk. "I flirt with everyone. Now, by partner, do you mean business partner or . . . "

"Would both be an adequate answer for you?" Aela wondered.

Nesta's smile widened. "Truly? You guys are . . . ?"

Aela nodded.

Nesta laughed and clapped her hand down on the table. "Of course the one of us who had no interest in a committed, romantic relationship would be the first to find it when we arrived in Skyrim." She was so happy for her sister.

"Have you encountered more of your siblings?" Aela asked.

"Just Elain," Nesta replied with a frown. "I was recently in Windhelm for business. She's living there. She's a Thane and everything, although she hates that pompous prick Stormcloak, but I guess she impressed him by solving a murder spree, so he gave her a title and quite the extravagent house in the city even though she wouldn't pledge her services to his cause."

"And I gather your business in Windhelm had something to do with the Thieves' Guild," Aela commented.

Well, shit. This girl was good. Nesta put on a far-too innocent expression. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your armor speaks otherwise," the Nord answered with a smirk.

Nesta returned her smirk. "You're too smart for my own good," she chuckled. Then turned serious. "Will that be a problem?"

Aela shrugged. "I'm not one to judge a person on how they're putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads," she replied. "Thievery isn't a choice I would make for myself, but I won't look down upon you for doing so. In my opinion, the Guild is quite civilized amongst thieves, and I find honor in the fact that you go out of your way to spare the lives of your marks."

Nesta smiled. "We get kicked out if we kill someone," she stated. "I like that. I've gotten into plenty of trouble in my time, but I've never taken an innocent life. I don't intend to start now." She looked down at the table and stared at her folded hands for a moment. She had known Elain wouldn't have a problem with her chosen career, but she'd worried about Aerenwen. That sister had a strict code of honor. "Do you think Aerenwen will be disappointed in me?"

The other woman shook her head. "I think, first and foremost, she is going to be thrilled you are alive and well. She's worried immensely for all of you. I don't have to tell you that she sees herself as the protector of your family, and knowing you're not out in the streets, cold and hungry, will be all she cares about."

Nesta smiled.

"And, in truth, we discussed it," Aela continued.

That surprised Nesta, and her expression must have showed it.

"When we discovered you'd gone to Riften, I warned her that, given your skillset, you would be an excellent candidate for recruitment into the Guild. She seemed okay with it as long as you were happy and well."

Nesta let out an audible sigh of relief. "So, where is my slightly overbearing but wonderful sister?"

"High Hrothgar," Aela replied.

Nesta's amber eyes widened. "What on Nirn is she doing there?"

"She has business with the Greybeards," Aela replied.

Nesta opened her mouth to ask more, but the other woman shot her down before she'd had the chance.

"That's all you're going to get out of me. It's her story to tell."

"Alright. Fair enough," Nesta replied. "I suppose I'll linger here until she gets back. Any idea on when that might be?"

"I'm not sure," Aela answered. "Though I warned her if she wasn't back by Tirdas morning, I would be climbing those steps looking for her."

Nesta laughed. "I think Aerenwen may have met her match with you." She stood then, leaving a few gold pieces on the table as a tip for Lynnly. She hadn't ordered anything, but she fully intended to share her wealth with her friends. "Come on then. I need to go check in on Narfi, and you're coming with. I need to get to know my future sister-in-law, after all."

Aela laughed in surprise. "How do you know we're that serious?"

"Please," Nesta replied with a scoff. "Aerenwen doesn't involve herself in anything she isn't serious about. You, my dear, are in for the long haul whether you realize it yet or not."

Aela smiled. "I think I can probably handle that."

* * *

Nesta adored her sister's girl, and she hoped someday she would be able to call her a sister as well. She was quick-witted with a dry humor and easy to be around. She truly enjoyed the company of the Nord woman and saw her devotion and love for her sister in the way she spoke of her and in how Nesta practically had to drag the woman back to the inn when she was waiting for Aerenwen at the foot of the 7000 steps.

Aela shared with her that she and Aerenwen had encountered Mari in the town of Falkreath which left only Steffen and Glenys unaccounted for. She worried about them as they were the most inept when it came to defending themselves, and she swore to herself she would start looking for them in earnest.

Aerenwen returned from her pilgrimage to High Hrothgar on Nesta's second night in Ivarstead. She was full of relief when she laid eyes on her, and it was as if no time had passed as the sisters reminisced and caught up on the happenings of their lives. Nesta didn't tell Aerenwen and Aela about Brynjolf. It was too new, and with what was obviously a deep-seeded and long-lasting love right in front of her, she wanted to make sure this thing with the handsome Nord didn't end up being a brief and casual relationship before she started gushing to her sisters about it.

Aerenwen had discovered she was something called a Dragonborn. It didn't all make a ton of sense to Nesta - a mer born with dragon blood? - but she believed her sister when she told her the things she had experienced and saw it a bit for herself the next morning when she took the other two women to Shroud Hearth Barrow and showed them the dragon wall she had discovered. All this dragon talk once again reminded Nesta of her grandmother, of her stories and what they had once believed to by crazy rants that were now turning out to be somewhat prophetic. "Aerenwen will be important," she had said. "You all will be." How had Nan known?

The three women said their goodbyes outside of Ivarstead after exploring the barrow. Nesta broke into tears and confessed to her sister that she had abandoned her that day in Helgen. She told her she had run when she saw the dragon, that she was a coward, and that she had let her down.

But her sister, ever strong and supportive, had simply wrapped her arms around her and hugged her as she cried. "Ssshhh," she cooed. "Stop this nonsense. I was fine. I am fine. And the guards wouldn't have let you get close to the prisoners anyway. You wouldn't have been able to get to me even if the dragon hadn't come. And with the dragon . . . I can't say I wouldn't have done the same."

"Yes you can," Nesta replied. "You're always running into danger."

Aerenwen shrugged. "I'm a warrior, yes, but before Helgen, I don't know if even I would have gone running into a battle with a dragon. You didn't fail me, Nesta. Not in the slightest."

"I love you," Nesta said with a smile, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"And I love you," Aerenwen answered. "I shall see you soon, I promise."

Nesta smiled and embraced her older sister once more. Then reached for Aela and embraced her as well. "I'm glad she has someone to look out for her now," she whispered. "She's always so concerned about looking out for everyone else, she's never really had that. Take care of her."

"Always," Aela replied. "See you soon, Nesta."

The bandits at Nilhelm were ridiculously easy to take out. Nesta had crept through the shadows and dropped them all with arrows before they even realized she was there. She left with a bag full of loot and made the long trek back to Windhelm to complete her work, eager for her stay in the snowy city to be finished, so she could return to Riften, which was beginning to feel like home, and to Brynjolf.


	12. The Summerset Shadows

Chapter Eight: The Summerset Shadows (Tirdas, 22nd of Hearthfire; Middas, 23rd of Hearthfire; Turdas, 24th of Hearthfire)

Nesta had spent a week back in Windhelm and grew concerned when her sister never returned. The others had told her she was back for one night but hadn't returned again, and Nesta was really beginning to wonder what it was that Elain was up to. The following weekend, while she was out, a note appeared on the table in the kitchen from her sister who had apparently stopped by the house briefly.

 _Aerenwen is in Whiterun, Mari is in Falkreath, and Glenys is in Markarth. I'll be gone a bit longer but don't worry too much. I'll be helping Aerenwen and Aela and then am going to follow a lead on Steffen. All my love, E._

Of course the first part of the letter hadn't exactly been news to Nesta, who had already discovered as much herself, but she was pleased that Elain had found them as well as Glenys and hoped that something came of her lead about their brother. On Sundas, she received a letter by currier. It was from Brynjolf, asking her to return to Riften.

On her way back to the southern city, on Morndas, she stopped by Shor's Stone to pick up the ore the alchemist's wife wanted and was delayed when she decided to take care of the frostbite spiders that had overrun the mine there, preventing the people from working and earning the living they needed to survive.

Once back in Riften on Tirdas morning, she retrieved the bounty from the Jarl's steward, an Altmer woman named Anuriel, who thanked her for her service but, unfortunately, she wasn't granted the audience with the Jarl she had hoped for. She'd asked Anuriel if there were any more bounties out and was given one on a group of bandits who were camped out at an old Dwemer ruin located just off the road halfway between Riften and Ivarstead. She planned to take care of them soon. Hopefully then she'd be granted her audience.

When she checked in at the Flagon, the Guild Thirds all praised her for her efforts in Windhelm.

"It worked!" Vex commented eagerly. "We've gotten a job offer from an influential contact. This could be just what we need."

"Who?" Nesta wondered.

"Torsten Cruel-Sea," Delvin replied. "He contacted me directly."

This wasn't surprising as Delvin tended to serve as the face of the Guild when dealing with clients and other organizations. "There was a string of murders in Windhelm over the summer. The Cruel-Sea's daughter was one of the victims, although at the time, it wasn't believed she had been killed by the same murderer. She was robbed, you see, and the Butcher, they called him, didn't rob his kills. Come to find out, this poor girl was robbed after she'd been murdered, and when the killing spree was solved, it was discovered she had, indeed, been one of the Butcher's victims."

Nesta nodded. She'd heard all about the murder spree from Elain.

"Anyway, the girl's father took it upon himself to try and figure out who killed and robbed his daughter, and when the crimes were solved, and they discovered she had been a victim, it still didn't answer the question as to who robbed her," Delvin continued. "Torsten's apparently come across something in his search and thinks we can help each other. There's a group of thieves up there who are making a name for themselves. He's traced the robbery of his dead daughter to them, and figures we can get back whatever it is they took for him and eliminate some competition in the process. We agree. Sounds like a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"What do you need me to do?" Nesta asked.

"Speak to Torsten Cruel-Sea in Windhelm," Delvin replied. "Get the whole story from him. Find out what all he knows. Then handle it. Get back whatever it is he's lost to secure him as a contact for us and send a message to this group that the Thieves' Guild is back in Windhelm, and there ain't room there for anybody else."

"Done," Nesta replied with a smirk.

"Be careful, lass," Brynjolf stated. "The Cruel-Seas have been an influential family in Windhelm for generations and earning their favor will definitely get our standing back in Windhelm where we want it to be, but we don't know much, if anything, about this group of thieves. If you think you need back up going against them, let us know."

"Of course," Nesta replied. She stood. "Should I send Vipir and Niruin home when I return to Windhelm?"

Brynjolf nodded.

"Alright," she replied. "I'll check in when I know more."

She began to walk away but was stopped by Brynjolf's large hand on her arm. He pulled her back and placed a firm kiss on her lips. Her eyes widened in surprised, but she grinned at him, then glanced at Delvin and Vex to see their reactions. Delvin was grinning widely, and Vex wore a smirk.

"I'll be careful," Nesta promised, meeting Brynjolf's eyes with a meaningful look.

After she walked away, the grilling began.

"Well, well, well," Vex commented, "what exactly is going on with you and our favorite new member?"

Brynjolf chuckled. "She's something special," he commented with a shrug of his shoulder. "I don't know where it will go, but I'm sure having fun finding out."

Delvin laughed. "See the fun we could have, Vex, if only you'd give in to my charms?"

The blonde woman rolled her eyes at the older man. "Mercer doesn't like her," she warned Brynjolf.

"I know," he replied. "What I don't understand is why. Nesta has done nothing but good for the Guild in the short time she's been here. Why wouldn't he want someone around who is helping us find success again?"

"Ain't that just what I've been asking all these years?" Delvin commented quietly, glancing around to make sure no one else was in hearing distance. "There is something going on with our fearless leader, and I don't for a minute think it's something good. I still think there's more to Gallus' death than he said. I don't believe Karliah was a traitor, let alone that she killed him. It was clear how much she loved him."

Vex sighed. "You know we agree with you, Delvin, but without Karliah's side of the story, there isn't a damn thing we can do about it," she replied. "And I agree that Mercer is up to something. Aside from dealing with Maven, he's basically removed himself from the Guild's running. If it wasn't for the three of us, we'd have gone under completely."

Brynjolf nodded his agreement. "I don't think he's not to be trusted," he replied, refusing to believe his mentor had anything other than the Guild's best interests at heart, "but it's clear his heart isn't in the running of this organization anymore. But enough of this talk, before someone overhears. Let's go start working out the Markarth plan, so when Nesta returns, we can get started on our next city."

* * *

When Nesta returned to Windhelm, it was nearly midnight. Her sister wasn't at home, but this time she wasn't surprised nor worried. If Elain was with Aerenwen, she was fine. Not that she wouldn't be fine on her own, but knowing her two older sisters were together, gave Nesta some peace.

Nesta found Torsten Cruel-Sea at the family's farm, Hollyfrost Farm, outside the city the following morning.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"My name is Nesta," she replied with a smile. "I was sent here by Delvin Mallory."

"Ah, you're with the guild," he commented, leaning the shovel he'd been using against the fence. "There's a group of bandits holed up around here somewhere. I'm not certain of exactly where they lay their heads. I was able to track down one of them but didn't get much information out of him before I had my revenge, and he didn't have the locket on him. He did mention Niranya. She's one of your kind. Runs a stall in the market. I think she's been fencing for his group of thieves. I'd like my daughter's locket back. It's a family heirloom from my wife's people, and I think it would bring my wife some peace to have it back. I thought you folks would be willing to help since it would mean eliminating a rival group in the process."

Nesta nodded. "I'll bring you that locket back," she promised, then headed back into the city to find this Niranya.

The Altmer woman was, just as Torsten had said, standing at her stall in the market. She began attempting to sell her wares to Nesta, who chose to make idle conversation before getting to the point.

"How long have you been in Windhelm?" she asked.

"Just over a year," the other elf replied. "It's not the most hospitable city for outsiders, but I've made the right friends and proven myself useful enough that the locals don't give me too much trouble. New to the city?"

"I'm just passing through," Nesta replied, "though my sister, Elain, has a home here."

Niranye nodded. "I've met your sister. I left the Summerset Isles about ten years ago and lived in Cyrodiil for a time. It's nice to have a fellow Altmer here. There aren't many of us in these parts."

"I'm actually here about Fjotli," Nesta stated, deciding to get to business.

"Fjotli . . . where have I heard that name?" the woman replied, playing dumb. "Oh of course, the poor girl who was murdered. Such a beautiful young thing. A tragedy to be certain."

"Drop the act," Nesta answered with a frown. "I know you're involved somehow."

"How dare you!" Niranya exclaimed, earning the attention of a few marketgoers nearby. "You're accusing me of taking part in a such a . . . heinous . . . act? I should have you arrested for even suggesting such a thing!"

Nesta rolled her eyes. "You may be a decent thief, but you're a horrible actress."

Niranya looked fearful and glanced around nervously, lowering her voice. "Now, just a moment. Let's think about this . . . you know, discuss it like two rational people."

"I'm listening," Nesta replied, arms crossed.

"Look, I had no choice," Niranya defended. Nesta could see how frightened the other woman was. "They're crazy. I could be killed!"

"Who's crazy?"

"It's a guild of Altmer thieves," the other woman replied. "They call themselves the Summerset Shadows. Their leader, Linwe, is the worst of the lot. He steals valuables from the dead!"

"You mean he murders his marks," Nesta clarified.

Niranya shook her head. "No. Linwe actually prefers stealing from the already deceased. He digs up corpses, breaks into the Hall of the Dead . . . He even stole that locket and some coin off that poor murdered girl's body, or what was left of it, before the authorities had found her."

"How'd you get involved?" she asked.

"I used to fence for the Thieves' Guild when I first arrived in Cyrodiil. I knew Linwe there. When he arrived in this area, he contacted me and said if I didn't fence for him, he'd kill me."

"Tell me where Linwe's hiding," Nesta ordered.

"If I tell you, you need to promise not to kill me," Niranya begged.

"I'm with the Thieves Guild," the younger elf replied. "I'm not going to kill you. That's not our way. I've been hired to retrieve Fjotli's locket and figure I'll illiminate the competition in the process. This is our turf. There's no room for another organized group of thieves."

Niranya nodded. "Linwe is holed up at a place called Uttering Hills Cave," she replied. "It's to the southwest of here on the other side of the river but not far. He's got his whole gang there, so be careful. After you're done with all this, come back and see me. As I said, I used to work as a fence for the Guild, and I could be an asset to your organization."

Nesta nodded.

* * *

The Altmer thief approached Uttering Hills Cave under the cover of darkness. Two of the thieves sat around a fire outside its entrance, and she had taken care of them with arrows before they ever noticed she was there.

Inside, her luck was just as good. A set of stairs led to a long corridor, and she took care of the thief sitting on a chair there before peaking around a corner into a room set up with a large dining table.

Two more thieves sat at the table, and they were dead before noticing her presence. She found Linwe in bed in a small room off that area. She knelt over him and slit his throat with her dagger and found Fjotli's locket in his chest. She looted the hideout for any other valuables.

To finish up and get the message across to any others who may not have been around at the time, she used a destruction spell to burn their banner and left the shadowmark of the guild on the floor with one of the dead thief's blood.

She felt that would probably get the point across.

* * *

The next morning, Nesta packed up her things and completed her business in Windhelm. She visited Niranya and promised that Tonilia would be in touch with her about fencing for the guild. As she left the city, she returned the locket to a grateful Torsten Cruel-Sea, who promised he would be a contact for the guild and help line the guards' pockets, so they would look the other way.

Back in Riften, she found her way to the Ragged Flagon. Delvin and Vex were thrilled with her work, and Delvin struck off to talk with Tonilia about opening up trade and communication with Niranya in Windhelm.

She found Brynjolf in the Cistern and stood in the shadows as he argued with Mercer.

"I don't give a skeever's ass what you do so long as the coin ends up in the vault at the end of the day," the guildmaster was saying.

"We've won Windhelm back," the Nord replied with a frown. "I thought you would find a bit more pleasure in our success."

Mercer walked around to the other side of his desk. "Of course it's good news for the Guild," he backtracked. "I'm just not too keen on your little girlfriend coming in here and changing things."

"Nesta hasn't changed a damn thing, Mercer," Brynjolf argued. "I don't know what you're on about. She's followed orders to a T, and it's thanks to her hard work and thoroughness that we have another city in our belts. We'll be moving onto Markarth next. As guildmaster, your input would be appreciated."

Mercer scowled. "Like I said, do what you want, just make sure the vault reaps the benefits. This is a dying organization, Byrnjolf. I'm not wasting my time."

Brynjolf looked furious but said no more, turning to walk away.

"Oh, and Maven wants to talk to the elf," Mercer added. "Don't keep her waiting."

Brynjolf spotted Nesta in the shadows and nodded toward the training room. She followed him, silently, knowing Mercer still hadn't spotted her. When she reached him, he was taking out his frustrations on a training dummy.

"That man does not like me," she stated casually, sitting on a bale of hay nearby.

"I don't understandy why," Brynjolf replied.

"Do you trust him?" the elf asked.

"I used to," he answered, sheathing his sword and taking a few steps closer to her. "Now I'm not so sure."

"For what it's worth," Nesta stated, "I don't. I've had a bad feeling about him since the moment I met him, and I don't think he has the Guild's best interests at heart. I suspect he has something else going on, and my instincts tell me it has something to do with the bad state the Guild has been in."

Brynjolf looked at her in surprise but didn't disagree. "Whatever he's up to, I don't trust him in your presence," he finally said. "Don't let yourself be alone in the Cistern with him, please. I know that's a bit hard what with sleeping here and all, but make sure one of us is watching your back before you let your guard down."

Nesta nodded. In truth, she didn't think she'd been sleeping there much at all. As long as Mercer Fray was in charge, the Cistern just didn't feel safe.


	13. Maven Black-Briar

Chapter Nine: Maven Black-Briar (Fridas, 25th of Hearthfire; Tirdas, 29th of Hearthfire)

Nesta was set to meet Riften's most influential citizen at noon at the Bee and Barb. She thought it an odd place to meet, especially given the time. Though the tavern was certainly most busy in the evenings, there was a definite noontime rush, and it didn't seem to be the most private place for a conversation involving their manner of business.

The elf entered the inn a few minutes before noon and glanced around. She didn't see Maven anywhere. Although she hadn't been formerly introduced to her yet, she'd seen the middle-aged woman around town and was quite familiar with her appearance.

"Ah, Nesta," Talen-Jei stated, approaching her with a smile. "We've missed you around here. I thought, perhaps, you had left Riften for good. Where have you been staying?"

She sensed a bit of suspicion in his tone and wondered if he had begun to suspect her line of work. She was always careful to avoid being seen in her guild uniform within the city walls. "I've been out of town," she only partially lied, "visiting one of my sisters who has a home in Windhelm and collecting some bounties for the Jarl. I'm hoping to prove my loyalty and, perhaps, be granted some property in the city."

The lizard-man smiled, any suspicions he had held erased with her answer. "That's good, honorable work, and family is important," he commented. "Being new to Skyrim, I wasn't certain you had any."

"I have several sisters and one brother," Nesta replied. "We're all in Skyrim - arrived together and went our separate ways." She glanced toward the door when she heard it open, but it wasn't Maven.

"Are you looking for someone?" he wondered.

"Yes, Maven Black-Briar," she replied, much to the Argonian's surprise. "She requested a meeting with me here at noon."

"An important person in Riften," Talen-Jei commented, "but not a trustworthy one."

Nesta gave the man a warning look with her eyes but held onto her smile, not wanting to appear too harsh. She made her tone teasing when she replied, "Now, Talen, what have I told you? I can take care of myself. I've learned over the years its best to have friends in all circles, and if someone like Maven Black-Briar wishes to see me, for whatever reason, I'm not going to make an enemy by refusing her."

Talen-Jei nodded. "Will you need a room? I can have Keerava prepare one for you."

Nesta thought a moment. Having a room would certainly do a lot toward preserving her anonimity when it came to her involvement with the Thieves' Guild, and it would also give her a place to escape to when she felt the need to be alone and escape Mercer's presence until she had her own place. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, but only for a week," she replied. "I'm heading to Markarth next. Another of my sisters has set up residence there, and I wish to visit her before winter."

He smiled and accepted her payment before heading across the tavern toward Keerava. "Oh, Maven is upstairs," he called over his shoulder.

Nesta climbed the wooden stairs and approached the dark-haired woman who sat in a chair in the common area wearing a red dress suited for nobility.

"I presume you're disturbing me for a good reason?" she commented as the elf approached her.

"I'm Nesta," the elf replied. "I was told you wished to see me."

"So, you're the one," the woman answered with narrowed eyes. "Hmmm. You don't look so impressive."

"Looks can be deceiving," Nesta quipped.

Maven nodded and gestured to the chair across from her. After Nesta had sat down, she spoke again. "You're a firebrand, aren't you? It's about time Brynjolf sent me someone with business sense. I was beginning to think he was running some sort of beggar's guild over there."

"You don't sound like you have any faith in the guild," Nesta commented.

"Faith?" Maven questioned with a dry chuckle. "I don't have faith in anyone, child. All I care about is cause and effect. Did the job get done and was it done correctly? There is no gray area."

"I think you'll find my reputation speaks for me," Nesta replied. "I'm quite efficient and very thorough."

"I hope so," the older woman answered. "This is an important job. I have a competitor called Honningbrew Meadery that I want to put out of business. I also want to know how they managed to get the place up and running so quickly," she added. "Just a year ago, they were very small, doing business only in Whiterun Hold. They were no threat to my profit. Now, suddenly, their products are as widespread throughout Tamriel as mine, and it's cutting into my bottom line."

"I'm actually set to leave for Markarth next week," Nesta informed the Nord, "on the first of Frostfall. I could perform this job on my trip. Or would you like me to go sooner?"

"That should be fine. I'll set up a meeting with you with a contact there, Mallus Maccius. Look for him on the second of Frostfall at the Bannered Mare at seven o'clock in the evening," Maven instructed. "He'll fill you on the finer details of the job."

"Very well," Nesta replied, standing again.

"One more time in case I wasn't clear," Maven stated before she could walk away, "you butcher this job, and you'll be sorry."

* * *

The next several days passed in a blur for Nesta. Her mornings were spent resting in her room at the inn, her afternoons milling about the marketplace or making plans for their endeavors in Markarth with the Guild-Thirds at the Ragged Flagon. She spent some time at the inn most evenings for dinner, to keep up appearances, and she and Brynjolf snuck away for some alone time together whenever they could.

She took care of the bandits at the Dwemer ruin in just a few short hours one afternoon. Though the ruin was impressive, it was impenetrable thanks to a caved-in entrance, and the bandits were camped outside. There were less than a half-dozen of them. When she collected the bounty, the Jarl was present.

"I'm told this is your second success at wiping out a group of bandits for us," Jarl Laila commented. She was a middle-aged woman who was a bit overweight with brown hair and a tired face.

Nesta had already developed an opinion of the woman before ever meeting her. She supported Ulfric Stormcloak and basically let Maven Black-Briar do whatever she wanted, so, to Nesta at least, she didn't seem like the strongest of Jarls.

"I've actually been hoping to meet you, my Jarl," she replied with a slight bow, having learned how you are supposed to address Skyrim nobility. "I am concerned with the skooma problem in the city. Many good people are being hurt by it. I aided a fishery worker, helped her get the drug out of her system, and she told me where the root of the underground trade is. A man name Sarthis is conducting his business out of the warehouse on the docks."

Jarl Laila nodded, a sad expression on her face. "We are aware of Sarthis' dealings. Unfortunately, every time we attempt a raid on the warehouse, he's gone. It's as if he knew we were coming. I suspect someone within my guard is tipping him off. Are you bringing it up because you are interested in helping?"

Nesta nodded. "I think I've proven myself more than capable of defending myself against someone like him."

Laila thought a moment. "Perhaps having someone unaffiliated with the guard go in would give us the lead we are in desperate need of. I authorize this. Anuriel will give you a key to the warehouse. Come back to me with whatever you find. Getting Sarthis out of the way would obviously be useful, but information on where he is getting his skooma is also necessary. It would only be a matter of time before whoever is providing him with the drug realized he was out of business and sent someone else to take his place."

Nesta nodded and made her way back outside, descending the stone steps leading toward the marketplace.

Maul was outside the warehouse, leaning against a railing.

"Don't tell me you have something to do with this," she commented with a gesture toward the building.

"The skooma trade?" he asked. At her answering nod, he replied, "No way. I don't touch the stuff myself. I've seen it bring many a strong man to his knees. And Maven may have her hand is some less than honest dealings, but even she doesn't resort to drug trafficking. It's beneath her."

Nesta nodded and continued toward the door to the warehouse, pulling the key out of the coinpurse on her belt.

"You headed in there?" Maul asked.

She nodded. "The Jarl authorized me to clean it out," she explained. "Turns out whenever they try, some guard or someone alerts this Sarthis fellow, and they're nowhere to be found."

"Mind if I join?"

Nesta looked at the man in surprise. He didn't really seem like someone who offered to help just for the sake of helping.

"Look," he stated, explaining himself, "the thing is, my brother, Dirge, you've met him?"

Nesta nodded.

"He got in a real bad way with the stuff years back," Maul continued. "Damn near killed himself with it. I got him clean, but truth is, he hasn't been the same since. I'm pretty sure if someone walked up to him with a bottle of it he'd still take it, even all these years later. That's why I got him in with the guild. They don't allow the stuff down there. If they even suspect you're using it, you're thrown out on your ass. Delvin did me a favor and got him set up as the guard at the Flagon. He can't be trusted to go out and do jobs, not that he'd be much of a thief anyway. I'm not offering to help to be kind or to gain the honor," he finished, "I'd just like to know one more opportunity for Dirge to fall back into his old habits has been eliminated."

Nesta nodded, understanding.

Maul stood ready with his longsword drawn while Nesta unlocked the door and slowly opened it as quietly as possible.

Two male voices in the next room let them know they hadn't been detected.

Nesta took the first, a Dunmer, out with an arrow to his throat, and Maul clashed swords a bit with the burly orc who had accompanied him before driving his weapon through the orc's gut.

They searched the place, finally finding a locked room downstairs which Nesta easily infiltrated. It was full of skooma, moonsugar, and ledgers. Nesta grabbed all the paperwork she could find, including a letter that detailed where Sarthis would travel to receive his skooma shipments, said her goodbyes to Maul and returned to the Jarl.

Jarl Laila was pleased with her findings and promised Nesta if she took care of Sarthis' superiors at Cragslane Cavern to the north, there would a great deal of coin and possibly a title for her.

Nesta struck off to find Maul. She had another full day before she left for Whiterun. Perhaps, he'd like to help her bring down the rest of the organization as well.


	14. Cragslane Cavern

Chapter Ten: Cragslane Cavern (Middas, 30th of Hearthfire)

The cave where the skooma dealers were based was located upon the side of a mountain just before the mountains surrounding much of the Rift gave way to the volcanic tundra on its border with Eastmarch. Maul had agreed to travel with Nesta, and the ride there on horseback had taken just short of four hours. Maul knew right where the cave was. Apparently the traders there also hosted dog fights for gamblers to bet on, using trained pit wolves as the fighters.

There was one man standing guard outside the cave, whom Nesta took out with an arrow immediately. Two pit wolves were housed in cages not far from the entrance. The two slowly made their way inside. Occasionally Nesta wished she had come alone, as Maul was anything but stealthy.

A second man stood guard not far within the entrance. Maul took him by surprise and had decapitated him before Nesta had even strung her arrow on her bow.

Down a tunnel and around a corner, lights signaled they were coming to a gathering area of some sort. After emerging, they stood upon a raised area looking out over a great, open cavern. In the center of the cavern was a fenced in pen with pit wolves who were already in the midst of a fight. Several gamblers stood watching, cheering and yelling drunken slurs at the dogs. A few more people sat at a wooden bar on the far end of the room.

"How do you want to do this?" Nesta asked her friend, if she could call him that. "Quiet and stealthy or all Nord-like?"

Maul chuckled. "I think you know my answer, little elf."

Nesta smirked. To gain the attention of the gamblers, she shot an arrow into one of the wolves. She hated killing animals when it wasn't for survival, but in truth, these poor wolves were better off dead.

Several of the gamblers cried out in surprise and anger, looking around frantically to discern where the arrow had come from. The bouncer headed up the stairs leading to the entrance where the two intruders stood, and while Maul took care of him, Nesta handled the gamblers and bar-goers with her arrows.

The room was quickly emptied, but soon they realized they had drawn the attention of the man who owned the place. He came running out of an adjoining room, dressed in expensive armor and wielding a steel battleaxe. Judging by the glimmer around the weapon, Nesta realized it was enchanted somehow. Knowing that most people, aside from mages and weapons experts, wouldn't know how to recognize that, she warned Maul.

The large Nord did his best to avoid the strikes of the helmeted man's weapon, but that made it hard to land any hits of his own. Nesta fired arrow after arrow at the man, and finally, after some time, he fell to one knee, exhausted. Nesta breathed a sigh of relief and watched as Maul swung his longsword, beheading the other man with one swing.

Maul stood, breathing heavily. "How'd you know his weapon was enchanted?" he asked.

The elf lifted the heavy battleaxe, wondering to herself how on Nirn anyone could lift such a thing and showed Maul. "See how it glimmers just so . . . the reflection of the light isn't a pure reflection. It's radiating some of its own color." She turned the battleaxe allowing the light from the braziers nearby to reflect upon the metal.

"It's green," Maul commented in surprise after studying it for a moment.

Nesta nodded. "That's a stamina enchantment. It would drain your stamina with each strike, and with each bit of stamina drained, the wielder's own would be fortified." She shoved the heavy weapon in his direction. "You take it. I can barely lift the thing let alone do any damage with it," she said with a chuckle. "I'd say you've earned it."

Maul took the battleaxe in his hands and swung it a few times to get the feel of it. "I'm not sure I've ever held a weapon this nice."

"That battleaxe is probably worth more than Maven pays you in a month," Nesta teased.

Maul looked at her with wide eyes. "How much?"

The elf shrugged and wandered toward the bar to look around. "Fifteen hundred septims easily, maybe more." She rifled through the chest behind the bar and pocketed a few valuable items. "It's an excellent specimen of steel craftmenship," she continued, "and the enchantment is a strong one."

Maul glanced at the battleaxe in awe before securing it to the back of his armor.

They found a few things of value, put the pit wolves out of their misery, and dumped the skooma out. Nesta pocketed the moonsugar she found, knowing a band of Khajiit traders visited Riften every so often. Moonsugar was an important part of the cat-folks diet, and since they consumed a bit every day in it's pure form, it did not cause the adverse intoxication others received from it.

They left the cave with the knowledge that the skooma had not been delivered there but was rather picked up at the Windhelm docks by them and brought to the cavern for disbursement. Sarthis, and others, would then travel there to receive their shipments to sell. While there would probably always be an underground skooma trade in Skyrim just as there was in other parts of Tamriel, at least now, perhaps, it wouldn't be so prevelant in Riften.

* * *

"You have become a beacon of hope for my people," Jarl Laila stated to Nesta as she stood before her. "Much like Maul the Lioness, you are a champion of the people, coming to their aide and protecting them. You are an example of all that is good in Riften, and with your help, we hope to drive out the bad. I name you Thane of the Rift and gift you this blade as a badge of your office as well as property within the city. My steward will give you information on the land."

Nesta smiled and thanked the Jarl, wondering just what the woman would think of her if she knew she was a member of the Thieves' Guild.

The empty home across the alley from Haelga's bunkhouse was the property gifted to Nesta. She handed over her coin to Anuriel who promised it would be habitable within a week. She told the woman she would be out of town for at least a week visiting family and was assured her home would be ready for her upon her return.

 **Author's Note: That's the end of the second part of Nesta's story. Next, she's off to Whiterun briefly, then Markarth, to continue regaining ground for the Thieves' Guild. First, let's check in with her other siblings, starting with Elain . . .**


	15. Honningbrew Meadery

**Previously in Nesta's story - She trailed Aerenwen's captors and found herself outside of Helgen, but she fled when the dragon attacked. She spent some time in Ivarstead after that, exploring, earning coin, and making friends. She traveled to Riften and recruited into the Thieves' Guild where she is finding success and quickly earning respect. While on a job for the Guild, she discovered someone is working against them, and she has an uneasy feeling about the Guildmaster. She worked in Windhelm for a few weeks, reuniting with Elain and reestablishing the Guild's influence in the ancient city. She also encountered Aerenwen while on a visit to Ivarstead between jobs. She performed some jobs for the Jarl and took down the underground skooma operation in Riften, earning herself a title and a home.**

Part Three: Frostfall

Chapter One: Honningbrew Meadery (Turdas, Second of Frostfall; Fridas, Third of Frostfall)

Nesta left Riften quite early on the second of Frostfall. Brynjolf and Vex accompanied her to the stables and stood nearby as she climbed atop her horse after securing her saddlebag.

"You're stopping in Whiterun first?" Brynjolf asked.

She nodded her confirmation. "I'm set to meet Maven's contact tonight at the inn," she explained. "I'm hoping to be able to wrap up whatever job it is she wants done tomorrow so that I'm not too delayed in getting to Markarth. Once there, I have a delivery to make at the inn for the fishery owner. He offered payment for it when he overhead that I was traveling that way, but after that, I'm hoping to track down my sister to stay with her."

Her lover nodded. "What's this sister's name?"

"Glenys," she replied. "I'm told she owns a home in the city. I'll be safe with her, but I'm not sure if she'll open her home to the Guild as a whole the way Elain did. I suppose I'll find out."

"Send word when you arrive in Markarth," he ordered. "I'll send Sapphire and Rune on after I've received it. Should give you a few days to get everything in order before they arrive. After they've gotten started, send word. The trip from here to Markarth is too long to go back and forth during this. We'll have to communicate by currier - discreetly."

Nesta nodded and sent a smirk in Vex's direction. "Keep an eye on him, would you?" she asked, and though she meant it, the tone she had stated it in was teasing and caused the others to chuckle.

"I'll try my best," the blonde woman replied.

"Safe travels," Brynjolf wished her softly, laying a large hand on her thigh as he stepped closer to the horse.

Nesta smiled and leant down, placing a soft kiss on the man's lips. "Don't go forgetting about me when I'm on the other side of Skyrim."

He chuckled at that. "Coudn't if I tried. You're unforgettable, lass."

* * *

Nesta was impressed with Whiterun. It was comparable in size to Riften, but the streets were cleaner and seemed to be void of the crime and unsavory characters her home city possessed. She found the inn easily, located at the end of the main road off the plaza in which the marketplace was located, and she had time to secure a room and purchase a flagon of mead before meeting with her contact.

Mallus Maccius was an unsavory-looking Imperial with stringy, dark hair, a paler than normal complexion, and a haggard face. Nesta suspected he may have a drug problem but didn't judge. He was simply a contact for Maven for this job, and she hoped she'd never have to deal with the man again. He gave her a feeling of unease.

"I'm going to keep this short because we've got a lot to do," he stated when Nesta had sat down in the chair opposite him at the small table in the corner of the inn's tavern. "Honningbrew's owner, Sabjorn, is about to hold a tasting for Whiterun's captain of the guard. It's tomorrow morning, and we're going to poison the mead."

"The Guild doesn't kill people," Nesta replied with a frown.

Mallus chuckled. "Oh, we're not going to kill anyone. It'll just be enough to make the mead taste off and maybe make the captain a bit ill. Just enough to implicate Sabjorn for having unsanitary practices and take him out of the running as Maven's competition."

Nesta nodded. She could do that. "Do you have the poison?"

This time Mallus' chuckle was unsettling. "No," he answered gleefully. "No, that's the beauty of this plan. We're going to get Sabjorn to give it to us. The meadery has quite the pest problem, and the whole city knows about it. Pest poison and mead don't mix well. You know what I mean?" He grinned. "You're going to happen by the meadery when you leave here. Sabjorn will just be closing up for the night. Offer to give old Sabjorn a helping hand. He'll give you the poison to take care of the pests, but you're also going to dump it into the brewing vat. Maven and I spent weeks planning this. It had to be tonight so that Sabjorn didn't have the opportunity to taste the mead himself. He wants the captain to have the freshest batch, so I'll be retrieving it in the morning just in time for the tasting."

"If we're putting him out of business, why are we even bothering to kill the rats?" Nesta wondered.

"Once Sabjorn is out of the way, Maven has plans for his place," Mallus replied. "One way or another, we don't want the pests coming back. Both of the buildings of the meadery are connected by tunnels dug by the skeevers infesting the place. There's an entrance to it in the basement storeroom that used to be boarded over. I've already removed the boards, so the meadery would get infested. That's where you should start."

"I gather Sabjorn is your employer," Nesta surmised. "Why are you doing this?"

Again, Mallus chuckled. "I made the mistake of borrowing money from the old codger a few years ago. I've been working to pay him off, but he's working my fingers to the bone. Treats me like a slave! If this plan works, not only is my debt gone, but I'll be set for life. Maven and I worked out a little deal. If Sabjorn ends up in jail, she's going to take over his meadery, and guess who gets to run the Black-Briar Meadery in Whiterun?" He pointed a thumb at his own chest. "You're looking at him."

Greed. That was the basis for this job. Maven's greed at wanting to be the only meadery in business, and Sabjorn's greed at wanting to get off scotch free from his debt and have a better job. Nesta sighed. It wasn't the most honorable of jobs, but she couldn't turn it down and get on Maven's bad side. Besides, wasn't thievery the business of greed?

"Now get going before Sabjorn grows some brains and hires someone else to administer the poison," the Imperial ordered, shooing her away with his small hands.

Honningbrew Meadery was located outside of Whiterun and across a small stream. The sky was just darkening as Nesta approached, and she opened the door just as the balding Nord proprietor was getting ready to lock up.

"We're closed," he stated gruffly.

Nesta smiled at him in her friendliest way. "Actually, I'm here to offer to do a job for you," she informed him. "I heard through the rumor mill that you've got a pest problem here, and I happen to specialize in skeever elimination."

Sabjorn raised his eyebrows and smiled at the elf, inviting her into the main room of the meadery where he dealt with any customers. "Your timing couldn't have been better," he stated as he walked around to the back of the counter. "I've been looking to hire someone but haven't had much luck." He pulled out a bag of poison from beneath the counter. "I procured this poison. I just need you to find their nest and place it."

Nesta nodded. "No problem. Let's talk about payment." If she was going to do this job for Maven, she may as well try to get whatever she can out of it.

"I'll pay you when the job is done, and I've seen no sign of skeevers for a few days," he replied with a frown.

She shook her head. "Not going to work for me. I'm just passing through town, and I'm not sure when I'll be back or if my travels will even bring me in this direction again."

"How can I know you're not just going to take the payment and disappear?" he wondered, his frown deepening. "You really expect me to pay you before you do the work?"

"You better," Nesta answered with a shrug, "or I yell 'skeever'."

"Fine, fine," Sabjorn replied hurriedly. "Will half up front satisfy you? You'll get the rest when the job is done."

"That's fair, I suppose."

"They're getting in through the basement somehow," Sabjorn explained, handing her the key.

Nesta followed the older man's directions and found the stairwell. Two skeevers were roaming around the basement, and she quickly took them out with an arrow each. Two more were dead in traps the meadery owner had laid out. She found the large skeever hole in the wall and squatted down, making her way through the short, narrow tunnels as quickly and quietly as she could.

It was some time before she encountered more skeevers, and there was something unusual about these ones. They seemed more aggressive than the typical oversized rodent, but she dealt with them swiftly and only ended up with a few scratches on her right arm in the process. She glanced down at the wounds with a frown, knowing they'd need to be cleaned immediately. Skeevers tended to be riddled with disease.

She found herself in a large cavern, and when she was surprised to hear the muttering of a man's voice, she quickly hid behind a boulder. A shirtless Nord stood over an alchemy table at the edge of the cavern, talking to himself. Nesta tried to put herself in position to get a better shot off at him, but her foot slipped from beneath her, causing several small pebbles to roll across the floor, the sound alerting the man to her presence.

He turned, and she watched as the light of spells appeared in both of his palms. Thankfully, he hadn't ascertained her location yet, so she was able to aim an arrow for his throat and hit her mark on the first shot.

The skeever's nest was next to the man's alchemy table, and she placed the poison in it before looking around. Judging from the bedroll on the ground nearby, the man had been staying in this underground cavern beneath the meadery, and she rifled through his few possessions, curious about him.

In a chest, she found some soul gems as well as a few vials of potions - both familiar and unfamiliar - along with some books, including a journal. Flipping through the pages, she discovered that the man hadn't been entirely sane. He'd been imprisoned in Whiterun and developed a vendetta against the entire city because of it. He'd been living beneath the meadery developing an army of skeevers with plans to attack the city. Nesta rolled her eyes and pocketed the journal. She didn't believe for a moment that Mallus hadn't been aware of the crazy man's presence in these tunnels.

She finally found her way out of the tunnels into the brewery and quickly located vat number three, the one Mallus had given her instructions to contaminate. She dumped the last of the poison in it to be certain she had used enough though she was a bit concerned it may have been too much.

Nesta wandered back through the tunnels and emerged to greet Sabjorn. She handed him the empty bag of poison and tried to con him out of the rest of her payment, but he was insistent that he couldn't be certain she'd actually poisoned the nest.

"I should see some results by morning if you actually did what I told you to," he told her. "Come back just after I open. If I haven't seen any sign of skeevers in the basement by then, I'll give you the second half of your payment."

Nesta nodded and made her way back to the inn. She really wanted to look up Aerenwen while she was in town, but she was absolutely exhausted and wouldn't be able to visit long anyway. She'd track her down the next time she was in the area.


	16. Markarth

Chapter Two: Markarth (Loredas, Fourth of Frostfall; Tirdas, Seventh of Frostfall)

It was dark before Nesta finally arrived in the great city of Markarth which was built within Dwemer ruins. It had been mid-morning before she'd been able to leave Whiterun, and it had taken her eight hours to make the trip, riding hard and only stopping a few times to relieve herself on the side of the road.

The poisoning of the mead had gone well - if you considered framing a fairly innocent man well. She'd arrived at meadery and received her payment then hid in the shadows outside to watch as the city guard captain led Sabjorn away after arresting him. Mallus had emerged from within the meadery afterward, thoroughly pleased with how successfully things had gone.

He had given her the key to Sabjorn's personal quarters located on the second floor of the meadery, and she'd rifled through his belongings looking for a hint as to how his business had found success so quickly just as Maven had requested. She pocketed a few valuable items and came across a couple pieces of correspondence. One was a letter from Maven herself, offering to buy Sabjorn out and was, apparently, one of several ignored attempts. The other was from an unknown sender but revealed that Sabjorn had a silent partner who wanted to put Maven out of business, and it was signed with the same symbol that had ended the letter she had stolen from Goldenglow Estates.

Nesta had left Whiterun immediately after her business at the meadery had been concluded and ridden west across the plains and through the small village of Rorikstead. She was lucky to not run into any trouble on the road, though she saw mammoths and giants roaming the planes and passed a group of Thalmor on the road. She followed the directional signs telling her to take a left an hour or so outside of Riften, and from there, the stone road took her through winding mountains. She arrived on the outskirts of the village of Karthwasten after dinner time, but though she was hungry, a local miner she stopped to enquire of told her the village didn't have an inn and that Markarth was just three hours away. She'd snacked on an apple and some goat cheese she had packed in her saddlebag and continued her journey.

Once arriving in the city, it didn't take her long to realize its inhabitants were only a bit more welcoming than those in Windhelm had been. She arrived at the inn and approached the innkeeper, handing over the document she'd been given by the owner of Riften Fishery. He commented on how long it had taken to get someone to deliver it and tipped her, but it wasn't until she asked for directions to get to her sister's home that the surly Nord warmed up to her at all. Once discovering their relation, he'd become almost friendly and stated that Glenys had done a great deal for the city and the safety of its residents.

Nesta thanked the man for his help and headed toward her sisters' home. It wasn't yet ten o'clock, and she hoped it wasn't too late. She figured she'd knock once, and, if no one answered immediately, she'd get a room at the inn and return in the morning.

Glenys' home was the highest residence in the city. The buildings had all been carved out of the stone of the mountainside and were unlike anything that Nesta had ever seen. Markarth definitely spoke of the engineering fetes of the long-extinct elven race who had built it.

Nesta was just about to turn away from the door after knocking and waiting a short time when it was opened, revealing a tall Nord dressed in armor. His hair was light brown and long, and his face was pleasing.

He gazed at her in curiosity, though not in an unfriendly way. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Nesta replied with a friendly smile. "I'm looking for Glenys."

"Who do I tell her is here?" he asked.

"Nesta."

At that information, the man immediately brightened and invited Nesta further into the home.

"I'm sorry for calling so late," she apologized as she followed him up a long, ramped corridor further into the house. "I've only just arrived in Markarth."

"No apologies necessary," he replied, smiling over her shoulder at her. "Glenys will be thrilled to see you. You could come knocking on our door in the middle of the night without bothering us."

Nesta smiled and stood in the center of a large room. A fire burned in a hearth to her right, and several bookshelves and a full set of Dwemer armor on a mannequin filled the area on her left outside two opened doorways that seemed to lead into smaller rooms. Through one door she could see racks with drying herbs and through the other, weapon racks. Ahead of her was an archway, leading to what appeared to be another large room. Through it, she could see another fire burning in a second hearth at the far end.

The man returned with Glenys moments later. Nesta smiled when she saw how good her younger sister looked. Her light brown hair was braided away from her face, and she already wore her nightdress, but she looked healthy and wore a bright smile as she gazed upon her sister.

"It's so good to see you!" Glenys exclaimed as the two sisters embraced. "I've only seen Elain, but she told me she'd been in touch with you. Come in. Sit down. Are you hungry?"

Nesta followed Glenys over to two chairs beside the fire and sat down, removing her bow and quiver of arrows and lying them on the floor beside her. "Famished, actually," she replied with a grin. "I left Whiterun this morning but got a later start than I had hoped. I rode straight through."

Glenys glanced at the Nord, and he disappeared from the room again, returning after a short time with a bowl of steaming stew and some bread. Nesta thanked him and immediately dug in.

"Nesta, this is Vorstag," Glenys stated with a smile toward the man. "He's, well, for lack of a better term, my lover."

Nesta smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Elain told me you'd found someone."

"And that is Argis, my housecarl," Glenys added with a nod toward another large Nord who had appeared in the doorway. "Argis, Vorstag, my sister, Nesta."

They both expressed their happiness to meet the other Altmer before excusing themselves to give the two women some privacy to catch up.

"So what brings you to Markarth?" Glenys asked. "Elain told me you were staying in Riften and that you'd been in Windhelm on business. Is that what brought you this far west as well?"

Nesta nodded. "I travel quite a bit for work."

Glenys tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "And what sort of business has you traveling from one end of Skyrim to the other?"

"A very lucrative business," Nesta replied cryptically.

Glenys raised an eyebrow but seemed to gather that she wasn't going to get any more information out of her elder sister. "And you're living in Riften? Is that permanent?"

Nesta nodded as she chewed a bite of bread. "I was actually just granted the title of Thane of the Reach and am now the proud owner of a small home within the city's walls. I haven't moved in yet. They're doing some renovations now, but it should be ready when I return from this trip."

Glenys smiled proudly. "That's three Thanes in the family."

"Four," Nesta replied with a smirk. "Aerenwen is Thane of Whiterun Hold."

Glenys' golden eyes widened. "You've seen Aerenwen?!"

"I have," Nesta replied. "As I know you learned from Elain, she was captured by the Imperials in a skirmish when we separated. What you don't know yet, is that she managed to escape and found herself in Whiterun. She assisted the Jarl with some business involving their research into the dragons' return and has also discovered she's something called Dragonborn."

Glenys gasped. "I've read of that," she informed her, which didn't surprise Nesta in the least. Glenys had read of everything and always remembered everything she'd read.

Nesta grinned. "Yeah, she's sort of a big deal," she said with a chuckle. "Anyway, because of her service and the fact that she's Dragonborn, probably, she was granted the title from the Jarl, and she has a home in Whiterun. I haven't been to visit yet, but Elain has. She's quite the busy woman. I ran into her and Aela in Ivarstead when she was training with the Greybeards."

"High Hrothgar?" Glenys confirmed.

Nesta nodded. "They haven't had a ton of information for her, last I knew, so you should write to her in Whiterun. Share anything you may have read. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

"I don't know much," her sister confessed. "Everything I've read was steeped in legend and myth. The facts were lacking. Who's Aela?"

"Aerenwen's lover," Nesta replied with a smirk, "who will almost definitely end up our sister-in-law before too long."

Glenys squealed. "Aerenwen has taken a lover? Like an actual committed relationship?"

Again, Nesta nodded. "They're absolutely smitten with each other and a perfect match. I spent a great deal of time with the woman while we waited for Aerenwen to return down the 7000 steps, and I don't think we could have picked a better match for our sister."

"That makes me so happy," Glenys announced with a sigh.

"Anyway, aside from the Dragonborn business and Aela, Aerenwen has adopted a boy who was orphaned at Helgen. They escaped together, and she took him in. Hamish is his name, though I've yet to meet him, and she's a member of the Companions. That's how she earns her coin, and actually how she and Aela met. Her girl is a rather prominent member, pretty famous, actually, amongst the Nords."

Glenys smiled. "And the others? Any news of them?"

"Mari, yes," Nesta replied, "though all I know is that she's in Falkreath. I actually didn't see much of Elain during my last few days in Windhelm, but she'd left a note telling me that she had seen Aerenwen and learned from her about Mari. Last I knew, Elain was following a lead on Steffen, but I don't know what or where or if anything came of it."

"And you? Tell me about you," Glenys insisted. "What took place with you after our separation? How did you find yourself in Riften?"

Nesta recounted her tale to her sister, leaving out the Guild and details of her work. She simply mentioned going into a business with a merchant called Brynjolf, and her expression must have given something away when she said the man's name because Glenys looked even more curious.

"Can I assume that Brynjolf is a bit more to you than simply a business partner?"

Nesta chuckled, and she knew she probably blushed. There wasn't much that could embarrass Nesta and result in such a reaction, but talking about feelings generally did. "Yes, but it's still new. I'm not certain where it's going, if anywhere. For the moment, I'm enjoying myself. He's kind and handsome, and the sex is amazing."

This resulted in Glenys' own blush, and the younger woman glanced away shyly. Glenys was the most prudish of all the sisters. For all Nesta knew, she'd still been a virgin when they left their homeland.

"And what about you?" she teased. "Does Vorstag live up to the opinion Brynjolf is causing me to develop about Nords, or is my Nord an exception? Elain didn't seem satisfied with her one Nord encounter since arriving here."

Glenys blushed redder and chuckled nervously. "I'm quite satisfied, I'll say that much."

Nesta smirked and decided to lay off the teasing, at least for a time. "Now tell me your story," she insisted. "Elain told me a bit, but I'd like to hear it all from you."

And so Glenys began her tale which started outside of Helgen. Like Nesta, she'd arrived before the dragon had, and the elder woman wondered how they had missed each other since Glenys mentioned watching Thalmor enter the city. This had deterred her from entering, and she'd traveled to Whiterun where she spent the night. She'd left the city the next morning, intending to return to Helgen and hopefully find the rest of them there, when a caravan of Khajiit merchants informed her of the town's destruction. They invited her to travel with them since she had nowhere else to go, and her curiosity over their race and the prospect of visiting an ancient Dwemer city had enticed her into doing so.

After arriving in Markarth, Glenys had gotten entangled into a conspiracy involving the town's richest family and the Forsworn - a rebel group of people with mixed Nord and Breton ancestry who had fought for control over Markarth with the Nords for generations. Glenys had witnessed a murder committed in the name of the Forsworn upon entering the city and was approached by a young man to meet with her later. Curiosity killed the cat, and Nesta was shocked it hadn't done the same for her sister. Glenys and the man theorized that someone in power was working with the Forsworn and that the guards were involved because they claimed the Forsworn weren't present in the city, yet people continued dying in their name. She'd met Vorstag when a thug attacked her behind the inn, and the mercenary had come to her aid. She'd traced the conspiracy to a member of the prominent Silver-Blood family and was falsely accused of murder and imprisoned within Cidhna Mine. With the help of the Forsworn within the mine, Glenys had escaped. In the end, the Imperials took control of the mine from the Silver-Blood family, and Glenys had earned her title and home from the Jarl.

Argis gave his bed to Nesta, and though she'd snuck out for a few hours during the night to complete the couple of jobs Delvin and Vex and told her to start out with, she slept quite well in her sister's home within the mountain.

The next morning, Nesta penned a letter to Brynjolf.

Safe in the city of stone. Vindrel Hall.

Several days later, Sapphire and Rune showed up at her sister's door.


	17. The Plot Thickens

Chapter Three: The Plot Thickens (Seventh thru 26th of Frostfall; Loredas, 27th of Frostfall)

"I'm not going to tell your sister," Vorstag stated. "I don't believe for a moment she would turn you out or think any different of you, but I know she will worry. Besides, it isn't my story to tell."

Nesta nodded and thanked him. It wasn't as if she was lying to her sister. If Glenys figured it out or asked directly, she wouldn't deny that she was with the Guild, but she preferred to not offer the information. She was breaking the law, and the less her family knew of it, the better. Elain and Aerenwen could know - they would have figured it out eventually even if she hadn't told them - but there was little the three of them didn't know about each other. The other three were often in the dark about the finer details of their employment even back home, and Nesta saw no reason to change that unless she had to.

She'd been in Markarth for just over a week and a half before the mercenary had figured out just what business she was in town for. She knew her exits from the house during the nights hadn't gone undetected, and with the rumors of the Guild making a comeback in the city, Vorstag connected the dots.

Rune and Sapphire were staying at the inn under the guise of being a couple, and Nesta was beginning to think that Rune would like it if that alibi were actually a fact. They'd been successful, both with their nocturnal activities and with remaining out of suspicion, aside from Vorstag.

During the days, Nesta had spent a great deal of time with her sister and explored the city, learning a bit about Glenys' Dwemer research and her work with the wizard, Calcelmo, at his museum.

The thieves had three more days of crime planned, and then Nesta would be able to return to Riften. As soon as they had a high profile job lined up, they'd send word for the other two to return, and she'd be back in Markarth securing their hold on the city, much the same as she had conducted business in Windhelm.

* * *

Nesta's first order of business after returning to Riften was to let Maven Black-Briar know she was in town.

Honestly, she was exhausted. The trip across Skyrim had been long and taken two days. She'd spent a night during her journey at an inn northwest of Whiterun. The Nightgate Inn had been a bit out of her way, but she wanted to avoid the city for a little while in case, somehow, she had been implicated in the whole affair at Honningbrew Meadery. Now that she was home, she wanted nothing more than to find a bed and collapse into it, ignoring her responsibilities for days, especially knowing she'd probably need to be making another trip to the opposite side of the province soon enough. But she knew she couldn't do that, so she found Maul lurking about at the edge of the marketplace and gave him a message to pass on to his employer.

Next, she wandered toward her new home, a small cottage known as Honeyside, and used the key Anuriel had given her weeks before. She had no doubt the home was ready as she'd been away longer than she'd hoped. The trip from Markarth to Riften was just too long to make regularly, so she had communicated with Brynjolf and the other Guild Thirds via currier, using short and discreet messages, during her time in the city of stone.

Upon entering her house, a woman with auburn hair and iron armor immediately stood from the small table opposite the roaring hearth and bowed her head in respect toward Nesta.

"Honor to you, my Thane," she stated quietly.

"You must be my housecarl," Nesta concluded.

The woman nodded. "My name is Iona, and I have been tasked with guarding you and all you own with my life. It is an honor to serve you, ma'am."

Nesta rolled her eyes at all the pomp and circumstance and waved a hand at the other woman. "None of that," she stated with a friendly smile. "I'm Nesta. I'm away a lot, so I'm hoping that you will be content keeping watch over my home and all that's in it. I'm sure we both know that people in Riften have sticky fingers."

Iona smiled slightly and nodded.

Nesta doubted she'd ever ask Iona to accompany her on her trips unless they were of a personal nature rather than business. Though she knew, as her housecarl, Iona would be loyal to her and could be trusted, she would never ask anyone else to give up their morals because of her own choices.

The tired Altmer explored her home, dropping her bag at the foot of the comfortable-looking bed which was in the room on the main floor off the kitchen. They layout of the home wouldn't give her a great deal of privacy, what with Iona lingering about, but it was her home, and she felt a great sense of accomplishment at being a property owner.

The kitchen was a small, sunny room with a large, stone mantle, a table with three chairs, and some shelves and cupboards for storing food stuffs. The bedroom consisted of the bed, a wardrobe, a chest for storage, a few stands, and a bookshelf. There was a door, and Nesta was pleased to see it exited out onto a deck over the lake outside of the city walls. She would be able to access her home without ever needing to pass by the guards at the main gate, which was especially convenient given her line of work. A set of wooden steps led down from the deck to a dock below, and a rowboat was moored there. Upon the deck sat some benches and another table and chairs, and it was a rather peaceful spot. Nesta could see herself sitting out there quite often.

Honeyside also had a basement which was accessed by a steep, ladder-like stairway leading down from an alcove between the kitchen and bedroom. In the basement was a small bedroom for Iona, a storage area, an alcove with both alchemy and enchanting tables and shelves, and a small room whose walls were lined with weapon racks. A couple of empty mannequins sat within the room as well, and Nesta was quite pleased to see all the storage options her home offerred.

She was drawn upstairs by the sound of a knock on the door. Iona had answered it and allowed Maul into the kitchen, and Nesta smiled at the hulk of a man when she saw him.

"Nice place you got here," he stated with a smirk, not doubt recognizing the irony that one of the Thieves' Guilds' most active members was also now a person with a title and property in the city. Not that it was really unusual for Riften, considering Maven's position and all that Nesta had heard she was rumored to be involved in. "Maven will meet you in one hour at the Bee and Barb. Same place as last time."

Nesta nodded and decided, rather than checking in at the Flagon immediately, she would use the bit of time to put some food in her belly and rest from her journey.

* * *

Maven Black-Briar looked just the same as she had the last time Nesta met with her except this time she wore a dress in a deep green hue. "I've already been told of your success in taking Sabjorn out of the picture," the older woman stated after Nesta had taken a seat in the chair opposite her. "I'm quite pleased with the results. He will serve the winter in jail for attempting to poison the captain of Whiterun's guard. His meadery was seized by the city, and the steward was more than happy to sign over the deed to me after I made a very generous offer. Mallus and I have already begun transitioning it over to Black-Briar Meadery West. You were not implicated at all. It seems that although Sabjorn ranted about some wanderer he hired to poison the nest, the authorities believe he made that up in order to shift the blame off himself."

Nesta nodded. That was good news. She pulled the paperwork she had stolen from Sabjorn's office out of her satchel and passed it to the other woman. "Here's the information you requested. I apologize for the delay in getting it to you. I've only just returned from my business in Markarth this afternoon, and I felt it was too important to risk sending by currier."

Maven nodded and didn't seem at all bothered by the three weeks that had spanned from Nesta's work at the meadery to their current meeting. She supported the Guild, after all, and if Nesta was doing work for them, a brief delay could be tolerated. "This doesn't tell me much," she stated with a frown after reading over the letter from Sabjorn's silent partner. "All that could be used to identify the unknown partner is this little symbol." She sighed and passed the letter back over to Nesta. "Well, whoever it is will come to regret starting a war with me. You should bring this information to the Thieves' Guild immediately."

Nesta nodded and received her payment from Maven, pleased to see that it was more than any of her jobs had made her thus far. She swung by her house, briefly, to deposit the coin in the locked chest in her bedroom - she didn't think it was necessary to keep too much on her person now that she had a safe place to store it - and then wandered down to the Ratway.

She found Brynjolf sitting at the bar, and when he didn't notice her entrance, she leaned her elbow against the counter beside him. "Hey handsome."

Brynjolf turned to her with a wide grin. "Welcome home. Word on the street is the Thieves' Guild has a growing presence in Markarth, and poor Sabjorn has found himself in Whiterun's prison. You're earning a lot of respect around here, lass."

Nesta just smiled and leaned forward, capturing the man's lips in a kiss that was much too brief considering the time they had been apart. She then pulled the letter she'd shown Maven out and opened it, sliding it across the bar in front of the Nord.

Brynjolf furrowed his brow as he glanced at it. "That's the same symbol as the one on the letter you found at Goldenglow."

Nesta nodded.

"You found this at Honningbrew?"

Again, she nodded.

"This is beyond coincidence," he commented with a frown. "Someone's trying to take us down by driving a wedge between Maven and the Guild."

"Sure looks that way," she replied.

Brynjolf sighed. "I'll show this to Mercer and try and get to the bottom of this," he decided. "Where are you sleeping tonight?"

"My house," Nesta answered. "Will I have company?"

Brynjolf nodded as he stood. "I'll be there as soon as I've spoken with Mercer."

Nesta informed Iona that she would be having male company over for the night, and the Nord had blushed slightly and promised to remain in her own quarters until he left in the morning.

It was well after midnight by the time Brynjolf arrived, and he glanced around the house curiously as Nesta showed him around. She was excited to show him the entrance that led outside of the city's walls and gave him his own key so that he could use it if necessary.

"You don't need to do this, lass," he stated with a small smile.

Nesta shook her head. "I do," she replied. "I need you safe. Something is going on. You know it as well as I do. I don't know what's going to happen, but if you need to get in or out of the city without being seen by the guards at the gate, use my home."

Brynjolf nodded and tucked the key into his pocket.

* * *

"How did it go with Mercer?" Nesta asked. They were lying together in bed after an intense round of reunion sex, and her head rested on Brynjolf's broad chest, sunny blonde hair stretching out behind her.

"Not well," he replied. "He's angry. Maven went to see him after meeting with you. She doesn't trust anyone and isn't certain the Guild isn't behind all of this. She wants the deed to Goldenglow, but we don't have it. We still don't know who bought the place from Aringoth."

"We'll figure it out," Nesta promised, hating how discouraged the usually cheerful man sounded. "What's our next step?"

"Right now Mercer's too angry to be making plans," Brynjolf replied. "I'd imagine once he calms down, he'll have an idea. I don't know. I don't trust him the way I used to. For all I know, he is behind this and just hiding behind the Guild, although his anger did seem genuine. Right now, just lay low and get some rest, lass. Enjoy being home. You'll have to strike off again soon enough."


	18. The Silversmith

Chapter Four: The Silversmith (Tirdas, 28th of Frostfall; Turdas, 30th of Frostfall; Fridas, 31st of Frostfall)

"When you were in Markarth, did you ever encounter a man called Endon?" Delvin asked Nesta a few nights later when he approached her at the Ragged Flagon.

Nesta nodded. "He's a redguard silversmith," she replied. "His wife runs a jewelry stand in the market. Why?"

"He contacted me," Delvin replied. "Says he has a job for us, and if we help him out, he'll spread the word, line the guards' pockets, and fence for us. This could be as good for us in Markarth as the Cruel-Sea job was in Windhelm."

"Alright," Nesta said, swallowing down the last of her mead. "I suppose I should go get some sleep then if I'm to head off to Markarth in the morning."

Delvin grinned. "Did you see I put that decanter you procured from Honningbrew on the shelf with the bee? You're developing quite the collection here for us, lass."

Nesta chuckled. "You know I have an eye for shining trinkets, Del."

* * *

A few days later, Nesta found Endon at the Silver-Blood Inn. After finding out that she'd been sent by the Guild, he immediately got to business.

"My family has been in the silver trade for generations," he replied. "I've had a lot of success here in Markarth, and I'm always looking for ways to expand my trade. A few months ago, I spent nearly a fortune on a one of a kind mold that I'd hoped to use to expand my business a bit, but the shipment was stolen by bandits en route here from Cyrodiil."

"I'm assuming you want me to steal it back?" Nesta asked.

Endon nodded. "I'll pay you for your troubles, and with the extra coin that mold brings me, I should prove to be quite useful to your organization. You've already re-established yourselves here in the last few weeks, but I can give you that last push you need to help the authorities look the other way. I may be a laborer, and I may be a redguard, but I'm the only silversmith in The Reach, and people respect me."

"What can you tell me about these bandits?" Nesta asked.

"Not much," Endon answered with a frown, "except that the shipment was intercepted outside of Falkreath. I'd start there."

* * *

Falkreath was a town located in the forests of southern Skyrim. It was a gloomy place. A constant mist seemed to hang over the streets, and despite the coolness of autumn setting in, the air still felt heavy and humid. It made Nesta feel damp and chilled as she made her way toward the inn.

The first thing she'd done after arriving was enquire about her sister, but the innkeeper, a friendly Imperial woman, informed her that Mari had left several weeks ago to return to her studies in the Imperial City. Of course, Nesta knew she'd most likely headed to Winterhold, but she was glad that her sister had been discreet and came up with an alibi. The next thing she did, after ordering herself a meal and reserving a room for a few nights, was ask if there were any groups of bandits established in the area.

The innkeeper nodded. "The forests around our town offer a great deal of hiding places, so bandits have always been a problem in Falkreath Hold. They've only gotten worse with the war. The army is spread so thin that they no longer patrol the roads. We've only got the city guard here, and now, with Helgen gone, we don't even have an active fort nearby. The roads aren't safe, and most folks don't dare to venture far from the town walls."

The information hadn't been overly helpful. The woman, Valga, didn't seem to know where any of the bandits were based, so Nesta settled down at a table in the corner of the tavern to eat and figured she'd ask around town the following day to see if any of the other residents knew more.

A middle aged Nord man approached Nesta a short time later and asked if he could sit down opposite her. She nodded and waved her hand at the bench since her mouth was full of bread.

"My name's Niall," he informed her. "I live just outside of Falkreath in a home the locals call Pinewatch. Valga says you're Mari's sister?"

Nesta nodded and told him her name, reaching across the table to shake his hand.

"I'm told one of your sisters is a Companion as well," he said after shaking her hand. "She traveled here about a month ago with Aela the Huntress."

"Yes, that's Aerenwen," Nesta replied. She was curious as to what this man was getting at.

"Aela is my daughter," he told her, "though I'm sad to say we're estranged, and that's all my own doing."

Nesta frowned but wasn't really certain as to how to respond to that. "I've met Aela," she stated and then waited to see what else the man had to offer.

"Valga said you were asking about bandits," he continued, "trying to find a large, established group of them in the area."

She nodded in confirmation.

"My Aela has always been a good judge of character," Niall said with a proud smile, though his eyes were still sad as he spoke of his daughter, "so if she's keeping company with a sister of yours, I'm going to assume you're trustworthy and here to help."

Nesta nodded.

"Last spring, I returned home from an extended hunting trip to find that a rather large group of bandits had infiltrated my house," he explained. "Apparently, there's an old underground ruin in the mountain beside it. I didn't even know it was there. The entrance must have collapsed years ago and been forgotten about. Somehow the bandits knew about it though, and they made their base there, knocking out a hole in the wall of my basement to access it. I'm decent at defending myself, but I'm just an old hunter. I'm no warrior, and they were too much for me to take on, so when they threatened my life if I told anyone, I kept their secret, and I've silently allowed them to come and go from my house for months. I've gathered, from what I've overheard, that they intercept trade shipments on the road from the Imperial province. Does this sound like the group you've been looking for?"

"It certainly does," Nesta replied. "What can you tell me about them?"

"Not much I'm afraid," Niall answered. "There's a lot of them. At least two dozen if not more, and I've never been inside the ruin, so I can't tell you how it's laid out or anything. Their leader is a man called Rigel Strong-Arm."

Nesta frowned. "I think I'm going to need some help, so it may take me a few days before I can do anything, but I'm going to get those bandits out of your house, Niall."

He smiled and thanked the elf.

Nesta may be foolhardy, but she wasn't stupid. There was no way she could take on a group of bandits that size alone, especially in an unfamiliar setting. She needed her sisters' help for this job.

 **Author's Note: That is the end of this part of Nesta's story. Elain's update will be next. Look for me to post the first chapter of that later today or tomorrow. Vacation is over, so I'll most likely be back to my once weekly updates after that.**


	19. Pinewatch

**Previously in Nesta's story: After fleeing the dragon attack in Helgen and spending some time in Ivarstead, Nesta finds her way to Riften where she joins the Thieves' Guild and makes friends, though she doesn't trust the current Guild Master, Mercer Frey. She takes back Windhelm for the Guild and begins work in Markarth as well and starts a relationship with Brynjolf. During her work in Markarth, she finds herself in Falkreath looking for some bandits and is approached by Aela's father who tells her the bandits she is looking for have taken up residence in his home, Pinewatch.**

Part IV: Sun's Dusk

Chapter One: Pinewatch (Loredas/Sundas/Morndas/Tirdas/Middas, First/Second/Third/Fourth/Fifth of Sun's Dusk)

Nesta had taken some time to scout out Pinewatch before heading to Whiterun, watching as the bandits came and went, as well as Niall who, despite basically being a prisoner in his own home, was allowed to come and go about his usual hunting business so as not to arise suspicion with the other residents of Falkreath.

She arrived in Whiterun quite late, well after midnight. She thought for a moment she might get a room at the inn but knew her sister would be irritated if she did that and would rather have her stay in her home no matter what time she arrived. She stood on the stoop and knocked, glancing around at the quiet streets.

It wasn't long before she heard movement inside, and the door opened. A woman, a Nord, with long brown hair wearing a partial set of iron armor, answered the door.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry to call so late," Nesta replied, "but I'm looking for Aerenwen."

She heard the sound of several sets of feet descending a staircase and was pulled into Aerenwen's embrace. She chuckled and hugged her sister back as the woman who had answered the door closed it and bolted it behind them. She assumed this must have been Aerenwen's housecarl.

"Lydia, this is my sister, Nesta," Aerenwen introduced, confirming her theory. "Nesta, my housecarl, Lydia."

The housecarl gave a slight nod in greeting before retiring to a room at the back of the house to give the women some privacy.

Surprised to see her other sister there as well, Nesta pulled Elain into a hug followed by Aela.

"What are you doing here?" Aerenwen asked.

"I need your help," she replied. "Yours will be an added bonus, though I hadn't expected to see you here," she added toward Elain with a wink. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Elain chuckled. "This Dragonborn business has our dear sister getting a little too close to the Thalmor for my comfort," she answered as she sat down in one of the chairs near the door, kicking her feet up to rest on the tabletop.

Nesta turned toward Aerenwen with wide eyes, awaiting an explanation. She didn't know what the Thalmor had to do with the dragons, but she wasn't thrilled to learn her sister was having to deal with them.

"I have a colleague who is helping me look into the reason behind the dragons' return," she explained. "She's a former Blades agent in hiding from the Thalmor. We wished to know if they knew anything more than we did about the dragons, so Elain and I infiltrated their embassy outside Solitude last week."

"Did you find anything?" Nesta asked. She plopped down in one of the seats beside the fire and dropped her bow and quiver onto the floor beside her. Her sister's house was comfortable and inviting, and she allowed her tired body to relax in the warmth of the fire.

"Not much," Aerenwen answered. "There's possibly another former Blade hiding in the Ratway. A man named Esbern?"

Nesta tilted her head in thought for a moment. That sounded familiar. "I've heard tell of some old man whose got himself holed up in one of the rooms there. He never comes out, and he pays people to bring him food and drink from the tavern. Could be him."

Aerenwen nodded. "Elain is here in case the Thalmor show up looking for me," she explained further. "Delphine lacked the foresight to use a fake name when she added me to the guest list." Well, that wasn't good.

"We were discovered," Elain added. "We got out, obviously, and were able to take a few of those Thalmor assholes out in the process, but they know Ren's name. With her title and standing as the Dragonborn, it won't be hard for them to find her if they look."

Nesta nodded with a frown. "Do they know about us?"

Aerenwen shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I found a letter to the ambassador with the details of our story and descriptions of us," Elain explained, "but it was still sealed, and I took it. Hopefully, they won't see us as worthy of sending another letter."

Again, Nesta nodded, though if they had Aerenwen's name and mentioned it to the right associates, they may make the connection to her family. "I'll help you guys find the old man in the Ratway, see if he's this Esbern you're looking for," she said, "but first, I need your help."

"What's going on?" Aerenwen asked. She sat in the chair beside Nesta, and Aela joined Elain at the small table in the corner.

"Well, you all know the Guild is taking back our reputation in Skyrim one city at a time," Nesta explained. "I finished my business in Windhelm, and Markarth was next on the list. I've spent the last month staying with Glenys and performing jobs with some colleagues. It went well, and we drew the attention of a silver smith there who could gain us quite a lot of influence and would be a fence for us in the city. Completing the job he gave me would conclude my business there.

"He had some specialty silver mold shipped up from the Imperial City, but the shipment was intercepted by some bandits outside Falkreath," she continued. "The job he gave me was to steal it back, so I've been in Falkreath trying to determine what group of bandits were responsible for the theft. That hold is a mess," she added with a shake of her head.

"Anyway, in my search, a man approached me." She glanced at Aela. "Your father."

The Huntress' eyes widened, and she inched forward on her seat a bit, obviously concerned. It was clear that although she may have been estranged from her father, she still cared about him and was worried about what Nesta had to tell her.

"Some time ago, a group of bandits broke into his home," Nesta told them. "Apparently there's some old ruin near it, mostly underground. The entrance is no longer accessible from the surface, but they were able to gain entry into it by knocking a hole in his basement wall. They've made their camp there and come and go from his house under the threat of death if he tells anyone about it. He approached me after realizing I was your sister and could be trusted. I'm pretty sure they're the bandits I'm looking for, and I figured you'd want to know that your father is in trouble."

Aela nodded and exchanged a glance with Aerenwen.

"Where's his house?" Elain asked.

"Just outside Falkreath," Nesta replied. "The locals call it Pinewatch."

Aerenwen stood. "Let's try to get some rest," she stated. "We head out for Pinewatch at first light."

* * *

The group of women rode passed Pinewatch and left their horses in Falkreath. Leaving them outside the cabin was too much of a risk, and they could approach more stealthily on foot. They shared a late breakfast at the inn where they garnered a lot of attention, both because two of them were Companions and because it was well known now that they were Mari's sisters. Her friends had questions, and knowing she'd reached her destination safely, they simply replied that she had just sent word that she'd reached the Imperial City safely in order to set their minds at ease.

They approached Pinewatch cautiously, and Nesta took care of a bandit who stood guard outside of the cabin with an arrow before he even realized they were there. They entered the house with weapons drawn, startling Niall who sat at a table in the main room of the cabin. He relaxed when he realized who it was, and his eyes widened when he recognized his daughter among them.

"Are you well?" Aela asked, studying the man with a concerned glance. Nesta wondered to herself how long it had been since they'd seen each other.

Niall simply nodded and held his finger to his lips. "One of them, Rhorlak, is asleep in the bed downstairs," he explained in a whisper.

They nodded, and Elain took a few silent steps down the wooden stairwell, aiming an arrow at the sleeping bandit who would never again wake up.

Once he had been taken care of, the group entered the basement where Niall showed them the entrance to the ruins. It was hidden behind a mechanized bookshelf which swung open after pressing a button located nearby.

"Go to the inn in Falkreath," Aela ordered her father. "You shouldn't be here while this is happening."

Niall simply nodded and cast his daughter a small smile. He then glanced at Nesta. "Thank you," he said quietly. "When I asked for you help, I didn't expect to see my daughter again."

"No matter what happened between you, you're her father," Nesta replied with a shrug. "I knew she would want to help if your safety was on the line, and I can't take on a whole underground den of bandits on my own."

Niall sent thankful smiles to each of the women, and when his eyes were on his daughter again, he whispered, "Be safe."

Aela simply nodded.

Niall disappeared up the stairs, and Elain pressed the button, the four women standing back as they watched the bookshelf swing outward, revealing a rough hole in the wall and a tunnel extending beyond it.

"You all right?" Nesta heard her sister ask the huntress, and she and Elain both stepped into the tunnel slightly to give them a semblance of privacy.

"Let's go," Aela stated after a few moments. "I want these bastards out of my childhood home."

The Altmer sisters all nodded and followed their Nord companion through the tunnel.

Their travel through the underground ruins was easy at first. It wasn't well lit, and with their combined experience with stealth along with Nesta and Elain's skill with archery, they were able to remain undetected, simply taking the bandits they encountered out from the shadows.

It wasn't until they had reached a living area within the ruin that they actually had to engage in any fighting. An area with several beds led into an area set up as a dining hall of sorts with several tables and a long bar. Several bandits were located there, and Aela and Aerenwen clashed swords with them. When they had all fallen, and the women were trying to figure out where to go next, a female emerged from behind a wooden partition. She looked confused and still half asleep, but when she took in the dead bandits and the group of strangers in the room, she let out a battle cry and dove at the nearest intruder who happened to be Aerenwen.

Despite the fact that this bandit put up a good fight and possessed an enchanted sword, with four against one, she didn't last long. The sisters split up to search the dead. Nesta found a few coins on some, and Aerenwen found a key and a journal on the last bandit.

"This was their leader," she explained to the others. "Rigel Strong-Arm."

"Niall said she was a he," Nesta commented, looking over her shoulder at the dead woman. "I can see why he was confused," she added with a cringe. "She's an ugly one."

The group continued through a narrow tunnel leading off the room. They avoided a few traps and encountered one last bandit standing guard beside Rigel's treasure room. Inside was an enormous amount of loot, including the silver mold they were looking for.

Nesta knew her eyes must have been as wide as saucers as she gazed at all the treasure laid out before them, and Aerenwen raised an eyebrow at her. "You realize this all belongs to someone, right?"

"Finder's keepers?" Nesta offered with a grin.

Aerenwen scoffed. Elain smirked, and Aela just chuckled.

After retrieving the silver mold, the group found a second entrance to the room - a barred door that led them to the first underground chamber they had encountered after leaving Niall's basement. Nesta pocketed a few valuable-looking items, and she knew Elain had as well. What Aerenwen didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Yet their more morally upright sister was more observant than that. "I know you two pocketed some of that for yourselves," she commented to her sisters after they had made their way back into Pinewatch. She was glaring at them, but there was no malice behind it - more the disapproving look of a mother who was trying not to be amused by her child's actions, "but I'll be telling the Jarl about this place, so they can retrieve the stolen goods and return them to their rightful owners."

Elain and Nesta simply smiled at their sister innocently. As far as Nesta was concerned, she didn't need a lot, but she knew Delvin would appreciate at least one of the shiny trinkets she had claimed as her own.

The group found Niall back at the inn, and though he tried to speak with Aela, she had simply shook her head.

"I'm glad you're safe, and I'll do everything I can to ensure that," she stated, "but I'm not ready to forgive and forget quite yet."

Niall nodded sadly.

The sisters and Aela shared a dinner and made their plans for their next steps.

"I need to return this to Markarth," Nesta informed them. "I can be back in Whiterun in a few days, and, if you're willing, you can accompany me back to Riften, and we'll see if this fellow in the Ratway is the one you and the Thalmor are looking for."

Aerenwen nodded. "It's obvious that Delphine isn't about to make up her mind anytime soon, so I'm up for that. We may as well look into any leads we get."

"I'll go with," Elain offered. "I have a bit of business to attend to myself while I'm in this area," her sisters looked curiously at her, but she offered no explanation, "but then I'll meet you all back in Whiterun. Three days?"

Aerenwen and Nesta both nodded in agreement to the time frame, though Nesta expressed that she wasn't certain she could conclude her business in Markarth that quickly. After bidding her sisters and Aela, who may as well be her sister now as far as she was concerned, goodbye, Nesta curled up in a bed at the inn, ready to strike off for Markarth again in the morning.

* * *

Upon returning to Markarth, Nesta immediately sought out Endon who was absolutely thrilled she had been successful and promised his services to the Guild. After that, she traded a few of the items she had pocketed in the ruins beneath Pinewatch with the local merchant and made her way to her sister's house. She had a few days before she needed to meet her sisters again and thought she'd take some time to relax without Guild business hanging over her head. She sent a letter to Brynjolf via currier, knowing it would beat her home, letting him know that she had concluded her business successfully and would be returning home soon as well as giving them the okay to set up communication between Tonilia and Endon.

 **Author's Note: This begins the fourth installment of Nesta's story. If you haven't read them yet, this month is completed in both Aerenwen and Mari's tales.**


	20. The Ratway Warrens

Chapter Two: The Ratway Warrens (Turdas/Fridas/Loredas; Sixth/Seventh/Eighth of Sun's Dusk)

As it turned out, Nesta had missed another adventure while she sojourned in Markarth. Mari had arrived at Aerenwen's seeking her aid in retrieving some stolen books from a group of Necromancer's. Luckily, she hadn't completely missed Mari who arrived at Glenys' to pick their genius sister's brain before Nesta had left the city. They almost didn't cross paths, as Nesta had already said her goodbyes to their youngest sister, but she'd been waylaid meeting with a few local thieves who were interested in Guild membership and ran into her mage sister at the stables outside the city where Mari was attempting to secure a ride back to Winterhold.

They had caught up over drinks at the inn before Nesta left, and it sounded as though Mari was in over her head with some artifact she had discovered during the College's excavation of an ancient Nordic city. Aside from that, Mari seemed to be doing well, and Nesta was more than pleased that she had been reunited with all of her sisters finally.

She made her way back to Whiterun to meet up with Aerenwen, Elain, and Aela, and they had stopped briefly in Riverwood to meet up with Aerenwen's contact before continuing on the journey to Riften. They traveled through the night, and though they were mostly quiet, Nesta was overjoyed to be journeying in the company of her two closest sisters again, even if she knew they would be parting ways once more as soon as they found the man Aerenwen was looking for.

It was just a few hours before dawn when they arrived in Riften. Nesta led them through the darkened streets and down into the Ratway, directly to the Ragged Flagon. She knew they didn't have time to delay.

"This is an underground tavern," she explained as she opened the heavy wooden door. "It's open to the public, but it attracts unsavory types, aside from the Guild, of course," she added with a wink.

They followed her inside, and she was pleased to see that a couple of merchants had set up shop in the formerly empty areas along the walkway.

"They weren't here when I first arrived," Nesta explained as they walked toward the bar. "Once upon a time, this place was a city beneath a city, or so I'm told. Then our bad luck led to most of the merchants leaving. It's only been with my success in Windhelm that the blacksmith set up shop here. The alchemist must be a result from my business in Markarth."

They climbed the ramp and Nesta nodded at Dirge who, as always, stood guard. He appraised the others accompanying Nesta with narrowed eyes but smirked at her in greeting.

"Well, well, well, would you look at what the skeever dragged in," Delvin commented as the group approached the bar. "Welcome back, Nesta."

She grinned at the man. "Delvin. Good to see you." She then turned toward Brynjolf who sat at the bar. "Heya, handsome."

He chuckled and smiled at Nesta. "You're a sight for sore eyes," he commented. He then nodded at Elain and greeted her by name. "Who are your friends?"

"This is my sister Aerenwen, and this is Aela," Nesta introduced. "Ladies, this is Brynjolf."

"Good to meet you ladies," he commented with a friendly smile. "This may be a first, having Companions present in our humble Flagon. What brings you to the Ratway?"

"We're looking for someone," Aerenwen replied.

"An old man named Esbern," Nesta added. "I think he may be the one that pays the derelicts to bring him food."

Brynjolf nodded. "Could be," he replied. "You're not the first to come looking for him lately. We had some unusual guests just a few hours ago. Be careful, Nes."

Well, that wasn't good news. The Thalmor were there.

"We didn't give them any help," Brynjolf added, "but they went into the sewers anyway. The man you're looking for is holed up somewhere in the Warrens. This lad over here may be of more help. He's been asking for you."

They followed the direction of his nod to see an extremely thin Breton sitting at a table.

"He's been here for a few days," Brynjolf explained. "Won't talk to anyone but you, Nes. But I recognize him as one who used to deliver food to the old man."

"Etienne," Aerenwen supplied. "He was captured and tortured by the Thalmor for information. We freed him and told him to come back here and tell you I'd sent him."

Nesta nodded. She approached the man. "Etienne?"

"Are you Nesta?" he asked.

"I am," she replied. "I was told you were looking for me." She nodded toward the bar and watched as he and Aerenwen exchanged smiles.

"I have skills that would benefit your Guild, and I have nowhere else to go," he explained to her. "I was living here in the Warrens for some time but couldn't get my foot in the door of the Guild. I was hoping, with your sister's recommendation, you could help me."

Nesta nodded. "We're looking for the man you were questioned about, hoping to get to him before the bloody Thalmor do. Can you tell me where you used to deliver the food?"

"Deep in the Warrens. Follow the tunnels, and you'll eventually come to a large room with two stories, several rooms off it. Go up the stairs and to the left. He's in the furthest room at the end. There's a panel cut in it for him to look out. I used to have to hand the food through it. He never opened the door."

Nesta thanked him for the information and pulled a handful of septims out of her purse, handing them to the bedraggled man. "I'll have Brynjolf take care of you," she promised, giving him a friendly pat on the back before wandering back to the bar.

"Give him an introductory job," Nesta told Brynjolf. "See if he's got what it takes to be one of us."

Brynjolf nodded, and Delvin glanced in almost comical surprise between Nesta and the outsiders amongst them.

"Relax, Del," she said with a roll of her eyes. "There is little about me my sisters don't know, and they're trustworthy. Elain is the one who helped us in Windhelm, and Aerenwen may be the Harbinger of the Companions, but she's not going to cause any trouble for us. She may actually be of some help when we hit Whiterun this month, in fact, and besides. She's the Dragonborn."

Delvin frowned but nodded after glancing at Brynjolf and seeing that he was not at all disturbed by her sisters being present for Guild talk.

Vex approached then, smirking slightly at Nesta, her blue eyes raking over those accompanying her. "You know, I've never found High Elves all that attractive, but something about the genes in your family . . ." she teased as she leaned up against the bar.

Aerenwen chuckled and nudged Aela with a nod toward Elain who Nesta now realized was smirking at Vex. She rolled her eyes. Her sister and Vex? That would be something, and she wasn't certain it would be something good.

"Well, I initially had a very poor outlook on Nords thanks to a less-than-satisfactory encounter," the dark-haired sister said in a low, flirtatious voice, "but I've recently developed a soft spot for beautiful blondes."

Vex laughed heartily and shot Elain a wink. "I'm assuming these are your sisters," she stated with a glance toward Nesta.

"Elain, Aerenwen, Aela, meet Vex," Nesta introduced with a grin.

"As lovely as it is to meet your friends, Nes, and as much as I enjoy watching Elain seduce her next conquests, if the Thalmor have already headed into the Ratway, we can't afford to tarry," Aerenwen informed her sisters.

Nesta nodded, remembering the reason her sisters were there.

"If the elves head out this way with the old man, we'll do what we can to delay them," Brynjolf offered.

Nesta thanked Brynjolf and gave him a quick kiss, not really caring that she was doing so in front of her sisters. Elain already knew something was going on there, and Aerenwen probably wouldn't bat an eye or ask any questions. She knew Nesta well enough to know that she'd be informed of it if and when it became serious. Nesta thought maybe they were headed that way, but they weren't yet, and she didn't have time to explain the situation anyway.

The Ratway Vaults were located through a door down a hallway from the Flagon. They were dark and damp and smelled of must, rot, and waste. It was not a pleasant place, and Nesta couldn't imagine being desperate enough to resort to calling it home. She hadn't even been comfortable sleeping in the Cistern.

They traversed the twisting sewers, delving deeper below the city. Most of the derelicts they encountered avoided the women who were obviously seasoned warriors, but a few attempted to engage them and were dispatched quickly. They encountered three Thalmor agents in their path who were a bit harder to take down, but they were still successful.

Aerenwen knocked on the wooden door Etienne had told Nesta about, and a small panel at eye-level slid open, revealing part of the face of an elderly man.

"Who are you?" he called out. "Go away!"

"Are you Esbern?" she asked.

"I don't know who that is!" he replied and immediately slammed the peep-hole shut.

"Esbern, open the door. I'm a friend."

"No, that's not me," came the reply. "I'm not Esbern. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Delphine sent me!" Aerenwen called out through the door.

"Delphine!" he gasped. "So you've finally found her, and she led you to me. Here I am, caught like a rat in a trap."

"The Thalmor have found you," Aerenwen replied. "You need to get out of here."

"Oh, how reassuring!" the old man bit back sarcastically. "Most likely you're with the Thalmor, and this is just a trick to get me to open the door."

Aerenwen sighed, and Nesta was beginning to think they were going to have to summon some flames to take the door down. Then her sister seemed to remember something. "Where were you on the 30th of Frostfall?" she asked.

This seemed to catch the old man's attention, and the peep-hole slid open again. "Delphine is really alive, then?"

Aerenwen nodded.

"Alright. You'd better come in and tell me how you found me and what you want," Esbern replied. "Just a moment. There are several locks here," the man called out. The women stood waiting, not quite patiently, as they heard several locks on the door disengage before the man finally let them into his room. He closed and locked the door behind them.

Esbern was a balding Nord of advanced age with a full white beard. He wore ragged clothes and looked a bit worse for wear. His room was surprisingly large and, even more surprisingly, rather clean and well-stocked. Books and various objects littered bookshelves, and candles lit the otherwise dark room.

"So Delphine keeps up the fight after all these years," Esbern stated as he crossed his arms and glanced at the group of women he had just allowed into his room. "Her fight is useless. The end is upon us. I may as well die here as anywhere else. I'm tired of running."

"What do you mean the end is upon us?" Aerenwen asked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked. "What more needs to happen before you all wake up and see what's going on? Alduin has returned, just as the prophecy said! The Dragon from the dawn of time who devours the souls of the dead. No one can escape his hunger, neither here nor in the afterlife! Alduin will devour all things, and the world will end. Nothing can stop him. I tried to tell them. They wouldn't listen. Fools. It's all come true. All I could do was watch our doom approach."

"Alduin," Aerenwen commented, seeming to recognize the name. "He's the dragon who is raising the others."

"Yes!" Esbern replied, his passion for the subject finally overcoming his despair. "You see. You know, but you refuse to understand! It's all been foretold. The end has begun. Alduin has returned. Only a Dragonbron can stop him, but no Dragonborn has been known for centuries. It seems the gods have grown tired of us. They've left us to our fate as the plaything of Alduin the World-Eater."

Aerenwen smiled softly at the old man. Nesta assumed she was trying to comfort him, but she herself was still caught up on the fact that this was apparently the end of the world. Either that or this old man was crazy.

"It's not hopeless, Esbern," Aerenwen stated softly. "I am Dragonborn."

Esbern's eyes widened, and he seemed to stagger back as a physical reaction to the shock of her statement. "What?! You . . . can it really be true? Dragonborn?"

Aerenwen nodded, and when the old man glanced at her sisters and Aela, they nodded as well.

"Then there is hope!" he exclaimed with a wide smile. "The gods have not abandoned us! We must . . . we must go quickly now. Take me to Delphine. We have much to discuss."

The old man rushed around the room, filling a couple of bags with books and other supplies he considered necessary to take. Elain and Aela stood guard nearby, and Nesta and Aerenwen watched Esbern curiously.

"You're talking about the literal end of the world?" Aerenwen asked the old man as he packed.

He nodded as he shoved a few books into one of the bags. "Oh yes. It's all been foretold," he replied but offered nothing else.

"Why are the Thalmor so interested in finding you?" she wondered.

"Well, they've been hunting down the Blades since the Great War on general principle," he replied. He stopped a moment to study the contents of another bookshelf, deciding upon two tomes to bring with him. "But if you mean me, now, in particular . . . maybe they've started to get an inkling of what the return of the dragons means. I don't suppose they want the world to end any more than we do, or at least, they'd prefer it to end on their terms."

Nesta couldn't help but chuckle at that, and she heard Elain do the same.

"What happened on the 30th of Frostfall?" Aerenwen wanted to know. Nesta had wondered at the significance of that day as well.

"It was a cold day," Esbern replied. He placed one of his bags over his shoulder, and Nesta stepped forward to take the other. "The end of Frostfall is nearly winter in the Jerall Mountains. We heard the news at Cloud Ruler by courier, riding hard from the Imperial City. The 30th of Frostfall, 171. Thirty years ago. The Great War started that day. The Thalmor ambassador gave his ultimatum to Emperor Titus Mede - the heads of every Blades agent within the Aldmeri Dominion. I knew, that day, that it was truly the beginning of the end."

He glanced once more around his room and then nodded at Aerenwen. "Very well, Dragonborn. Let's get moving."

* * *

The trip out of the Ratway had been a bit more treacherous than the trip in. The place was overrun with Thalmor agents who the group had to battle at nearly every turn. They made their way to the Flagon and breathed a sigh of relief. The Thalmor wouldn't act against them there. There would be too many witnesses.

Nesta then led the others of the sewer and into her home. She introduced them to Iona whom she commanded keep watch for any Thalmor who may be roaming the city. Though they didn't think they had been followed, one could never be too certain.

Esbern rested in Nesta's bed while the sisters and Aela chatted quietly around the hearth. After hiding out for years, the old man, though a skilled mage and once a talented warrior, lacked the stamina he'd once had, and just the journey through the tunnels had taken a lot out of him. They would let him rest until nightfall and then Nesta would stay behind while the others traveled in the direction of Riverwood under the cover of darkness.

"This is some deep stuff you're dealing with," Nesta commented, studying Aerenwen. "You okay?"

Aerenwen sighed and shrugged. "I knew the return of the dragons was big and had to mean something. I knew being Dragonborn meant that everyone was counting on me to take care of the dragons, but I had no idea this was some huge, world-ending event. It's overwhelming."

"We're here, Ren," Elain promised at the same time Aela took her hand. "You're not alone in this."

Aerenwen nodded with a small smile, but Nesta couldn't help but worry about her sister. She'd always taken on more responsibility than the rest of them, and now she had the literal fate of the world resting on her shoulders as well. She would do whatever she could to help but wasn't sure just what that would be.


	21. A Traitorous Contact

Chapter Three: A Traitorous Contact (Tirdas/Morndas, Ninth/Tenth of Frostfall)

As soon as her sisters left under the cover of darkness, Nesta made her way down to the Ragged Flagon.

"So what's next in our grand scheme to take over the world?" she asked with a wry grin.

Delvin chuckled. "Whiterun is next on the list," he replied with a nod. "Same thing goes as before. You'll go scout ahead, lay the groundwork, and then Sapphire and Niruin will arrive to do the bulk of the heavy lifting."

Nesta nodded. She decided she wouldn't be staying with Aerenwen on this trip. Her sister had enough on her plate with all of the Dragonborn business, what with the end of the world looming over them. She didn't need to be implicated in Nesta's business and have her reputation tied to that of a thief.

"Brynjolf was looking for you," Vex stated. "Told you to come and find him in the Cistern when you arrived. Sounded important."

Nesta nodded and swigged down the last of her ale. "I'll find out what he wants and start making plans to leave for Whiterun tomorrow." She was growing tired of traveling, but with winter approaching, she'd rather get the business done sooner than later. The leaves were already falling off the trees, and the air had a chill to it, even in The Rift. She couldn't imagine how cold it was growing further north.

She found Brynjolf sitting on his bed in the Cistern, restringing his bow. "Vex said you wanted to see me."

He nodded. "Mercer was asking for you, and I didn't want you alone with him," he replied. He stood and pulled Nesta into his arms. "Your sisters get out of town alright?"

She nodded against his broad chest. "We didn't see any more Thalmor around once we left the Ratway, but they waited until dark in hopes of avoiding any who may be on the road."

"I went down there after you left," Brynjolf commented. "You lot can hold your own quite well against those elves."

Nesta chuckled and pulled away from him slightly. "It's not our first time having to go up against the Thalmor, unfortunately."

"I still don't know the details of that," he stated, glancing down at her curiously.

"I'll tell you the story sometime," she offered. "For now, let's go see what Mercer wants with me."

* * *

"Ah, there you are," Mercer stated with a slimy grin as Nesta and Brynjolf approached his desk. He glanced with disapproval between the two but didn't comment on their relationship. "As you know, the symbol on the promissory note from Honningbrew is the same that was on the bill of sale from Goldenglow. It would seem our adversary is attempting to take us apart indirectly by angering Maven Black-Briar. Very clever."

"Maybe we should recruit them," Nesta commented wryly.

Brynjolf shot her look, obviously not appreciating her sarcasm in Mercer's presence.

"You jest," Mercer replied, seemingly not bothered by the comment, "but they've managed to remain undetected for years from the looks of things. They're obviously well-funded, driven, and patient. They're just the sort we look for in our business. It's a shame they've chosen to make an enemy out of the Guild. They are going to pay dearly."

"If we don't know who they are, how are we going to arrange that?" Nesta wondered.

"Because even after all their posturing and planning, they've made a mistake," Mercer explained. "The promissory note mentions an alias used by one of our contacts, Gulum-Ei. Slimy bastard."

"Who's that?" Nesta asked, turning toward Brynjolf.

It was Mercer who answered. "He's our inside man at the East Empire Company in Solitude," the Guild Master explained. "I'm betting he acted as a go-between for the sale of Goldenglow and can finger our buyer. I want you to go to Solitude, shake him down, and see what you come up with."

Nesta started to explain that she already had an assignment in Whiterun and couldn't do this right now, but Brynjolf nudged her and discreetly shook his head. Instead, she told Mercer she would do it and followed Brynjolf back toward the Flagon.

Once they were in the storage room behind the tavern where the entrance to the Cistern was hidden, he spoke. "I can't believe Gulum-Ei is mixed up in all this," he commented with a frown. "That Argonian couldn't find his tail between his legs with both hands. Don't get me wrong, he could scam a beggar out of his last septim, but he's no mastermind."

"Who is he exactly?" Nesta asked.

"As Mercer said, he works for the East Empire Company out of their Solitude dock," Brynjolf explained. "Mercer set up a deal with him where he was skimming merchandise and coin off their shipments for us. As much as I dislike him, I'll admit, he did well. It was so lucrative, Mercer was even considering moving our base to Solitude at one point to save time, considering how poorly we were doing elsewhere in Skyrim. Eventually though, Gulum-Ei got greedy and cut us out of the deal. Started keeping more for himself. At first he claimed the shipments were light because of Imperial interference, but then a few years ago, it all stopped. He didn't even bother to contact us anymore, but Mercer didn't think it was a big enough problem to warrant tracking him down. Until now."

"Why is this all so important to Mercer?" Nesta wondered. "He doesn't seem to give a skeever's ass about the Guild."

"I think it's because it involves Maven," Brynjolf replied. "He's in Maven's pocket, and as far as she knows, he still calls the shots down here. If the Guild's relationship with Maven is ruined, his will be as well. He doesn't care about the Guild, clearly. He cares about what this will do to the favors Maven owes him."

Nesta nodded. It made sense. She didn't understand why Mercer hadn't been pushed out of the position of Guild Master. As far as she was concerned, Brynjolf would be much better at the job. "So he wants me to go to Solitude and question this guy. What does that mean for our plans in Whiterun?"

"Follow through with them," Brynjolf ordered. "Go lay the groundwork in Whiterun, and when the other two arrive, head to Solitude. You can check back into Whiterun on your way home with whatever you find out for Mercer. The Guild itself takes priority, in my opinion, and just because Mercer's got a hair across his arse about this whole deal with the meaderies doesn't mean the rest of us are putting everything else on the back burner."

Nesta agreed with him. "When I get to Solitude, should I expect Gulum-Ei to give me any trouble?"

At that, Brynjolf chuckled. "Trouble? He's one of the most stubborn lizard's I've ever met! You've got your work cut out for you with that one, Nes." He shot her a wink, and they began to make their way back into the tavern. "You'll have to buy him off, more than likely," he continued. "It's the only way to get his attention. If that fails, follow him and see what he's up to."

"Why would it fail?" Nesta wondered as they both sat down at the bar. "Sounds to me like he's a greedy bastard and would sing like a canary for a bit of coin."

Brynjolf shrugged. "From what I gather, he's in way over his head. Could be he's afraid enough of whoever hired him for this that he won't spill, but if you can figure out what all he's wrapped up in, you can use that as leverage." He paused a moment. "Just watch your back, Nes. There are thieves and then there's Gulum-Ei. No honor, no code at all. He'd shake your hand and stab you in the back with the other."

Nesta frowned. This sounded like it could get even more complicated.


	22. Solitude

Chapter Three: Solitude (Middas/Fridas, 12th/14th of Sun's Dusk)

The capital city of Skyrim was a beautiful city. The architecture reminded Nesta much more of Cyrodiil and even, in ways, her homeland, and the weather was beautiful. Despite the fact that they were just over a month away from winter and the fact that she was further north than she'd been in Riften, the air wasn't nearly as cool. She found she only needed her cloak at night.

Nesta had spent a few days in Whiterun, scouting the city, looking for possible marks, and getting to know the locals as she operated out of The Bannered Mare. As it turned out, she never saw her sister, and Lydia had explained to her, when they'd run into each other in the market, that she and Aela had gone to The Reach to look further into how to defeat Alduin. The old man they'd rescued thought there was a former Blades' temple located there.

When her colleagues had arrived, and they'd developed a plan, she struck off for Solitude, traveling through the night and arriving just in time for a hearty breakfast at the inn, The Winking Skeever. After eating and securing a room, she wandered toward the Bard's College to look up her brother.

Steffen had been thrilled to see her and took a break from his studies to show her around the city. She was pleased to see how healthy he looked and felt at peace knowing he seemed happy and successful. He told her a bit about his studies and the adventures he'd had since arriving in Skyrim as well as a business plan he was developing.

Apparently, a friend of his made a delicious spiced wine but lacked the funds and contacts necessary to distribute it outside of Solitude, and he wished to help her expand the business. When Nesta informed him that she knew Maven Black-Briar, he was excited about it and introduced his sister to the woman, Yvette Sans, and had her try the wine. Nesta had to admit she agreed it was delicious, and they talked a bit about whether or not Maven would be interested. She agreed to speak to the meadery owner on their behalf and promised to do so as soon as she had returned to Riften.

She also asked her brother if he knew of an Argonian called Gulum-Ei, and he did, stating that he worked for the East Empire Company and usually spent his evenings at the inn, and so that was how Nesta found herself approaching the only Argonian she saw enter the inn that night. He sat alone in one of the small alcoves off the main room of the inn, enjoying his meal.

He spoke before she had the chance to. "What do we have here?" he wondered aloud. "From your scent, I'd say you're with the Guild, but that can't be true. I told Mercer I wouldn't deal with them anymore."

Nesta raised an eyebrow at this information. According to Brynjolf, they'd never heard from Gulum-Ei after he stopped sending them goods, so Mercer was withholding information from the Guild Thirds. "I am with the Guild," she informed him. "I was sent to enquire as to your knowledge about the sale of Goldenglow Estates. We have reason to believe you were involved."

"I don't deal in land or property," he replied. He was smooth, Nesta admitted to herself. She almost believed him.

"You're lying," Nesta accused. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Oh wait, did you say Goldenglow Estates?" he asked, changing his tune slightly. "My apologies. I'm sorry to say, however, that I know little about that. Bee farm, was it?"

The Altmer rolled her golden eyes. "You were named as a broker in the sale."

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't," the Argonian answered with a shrug. "I can't be expected to remember every deal I handle. I do a lot of business."

"Perhaps there's something I could do to jog your memory," Nesta suggested, deciding she'd let him decide whether that was a bribe or a threat.

His long mouth turned up at the edges in a smile. "I have a client who is interested in a case of Firebrand Wine," he responded. "It's difficult to come by, but I happen to know they have some in the Blue Palace. Bring me a case, and perhaps I'll remember."

Nesta didn't allow her annoyance at the situation to show. She simply nodded and left the inn.

Getting the case of wine had been surprisingly easy. The guards at the palace entrance weren't on alert, and she found it almost ridiculous how easily she had managed to sneak passed them and through an open window. From there, she wandered through the shadows, exploring the layout of the palace, before finally finding a wine cellar and returning the way she had come with a case of the wine.

Gulum-Ei was just leaving the inn when she returned, but he sat back down and eagerly accepted the stolen wine from her. "Now I remember," he stated, true to his word. "I was approached by a woman who wanted me to act as the broker for something big. She flashed a bag of gold in my face and said all I had to do was pay Aringoth for the estate. I brought him the gold and walked away with her copy of the deed and was able to keep quite a large portion of the profit for myself."

"Do you have any idea why this woman wanted to buy Goldenglow?" Nesta asked.

The Argonian shook his head. "Not at all. I tend not to ask too many questions when I'm on the job. I'm sure you understand," he replied. "However, I did notice she was quite angry, and that anger was directed toward Mercer Frey."

So the interference of this person was more than likely caused by something having to do with Mercer rather than the Guild itself, she surmised. "Do you have a name for this woman?"

"In this business we rarely deal with names," Gulum-Ei stated. "Our identity comes from how much coin we carry."

Nesta studied him for a moment and decided he was lying. "I don't believe you."

"Look, that's all I know," the Argonian answered stiffly, standing up with the case of wine clutched in his claws. "I never promised you I'd have all the answers you were looking for. Now, since our transaction is done, I'll be on my way."

Nesta watched as the man left the inn and decided she wasn't quite finished with him yet.

* * *

It was early morning, and Nesta was hiding in the shadows of the trees outside Solitude's gate. She was waiting for Gulum-Ei with the intention of tailing him throughout his business. She hoped that either her appearance would lead him to contact the mysterious buyer to let her know that the Guild was onto her, or that she would at least be able to find something to use as leverage over the lizard in order to get some more information as to the buyer's identity.

Nesta didn't have to wait long before the Argonian exited the city's walls, and she followed him as he walked along the road passed the stables and toward the north, whistling to himself as the road wound its way down along the edge of the bay.

Eventually, he came to a set of wooden stairs built down the edge of the rocky cliff, leading down to the water, and she followed at a distance as he descended them to the docks and what was obviously the main business office of the East Empire Company.

There weren't many people at work yet, so it wasn't difficult for Nesta to enter the warehouse unseen, just a few moments behind Gulum-Ei, and she followed him deep into the warehouse, using the shadows of the many shelves and stored goods to avoid detection from him as well as the few guards who patrolled the area.

For a few hours, her mark appeared to do what he was supposed to do, updating logs and moving crates around the warehouse. He dealt with a few business associates and was reprimanded by a superior for a deal gone wrong. It was nearing noon when he began to act strangely, looking around to make certain no one was watching before disappearing behind a tall row of shelving.

Nesta followed and discovered a rickety wooden door half submerged in the water the warehouse was built atop. After passing through it, she found herself in a tunnel, at the end of which was a series of caverns full of stolen goods.

As she followed Gulum-Ei through them, she overheard many conversations amongst the thieves working in this cave system, and it was clear that Gulum-Ei was in charge of this operation. An operation that was clearly quite successful. It looked like Brynjolf's hunch that Gulum-Ei had decided to keep things to himself and hadn't really gone under had been true, and Nesta was more than ready to put this lizard in his place and get some of these profits for her guild.

She found her opportunity to do so in a large room filled with shelves overburdened with stolen merchandise, and she cornered the lizard man with a dagger at his back.

The Argonian glanced behind him in surprise and held his hands up in surrender. "Please," he gasped out. "There's no need to do anything rash. This ain't as bad as it seems. I was going to tell Mercer about it, I swear."

"For some reason I find that hard to believe," Nesta commented, not removing the dagger.

"Please don't tell him!" Gulum-Ei begged. "He'll have me killed!"

"How about this?" Nesta suggested. "Let's sit down like two calm business folks. You tell me exactly what it is that I want to know about the Goldenglow sale, and I'll keep what I've seen here to myself for now. What Mercer doesn't know won't hurt him."

Gulum-Ei seemed surprised by the offer, that she was so willing to keep secrets from her Guild Master, but as far as Nesta was concerned, if Mercer was at the root of these problems, it may be better for the Guild to be rid of him. He was quick to agree, and she lowered her dagger.

"It was Karliah who bought Goldenglow Estates," he informed her.

That name rang a bell to Nesta, and she remembered Delvin telling her about the former Guild Master who had supposedly been killed by his lover, Karliah, one of the most talented thieves the old Breton had ever known. Delvin hadn't seemed to believe that Karliah was responsible for her lover's murder, and if she had a grudge against Mercer, Nesta couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the story than Mercer had let on. She decided to play dumb, however, and see what information Gulum-Ei could give her about this woman.

"Who is Karliah?" she asked.

"Mercer never told you about her?" he asked in surprise. "Karliah is the thief responsible for killing the previous Guild Master, Gallus. Now she's after Mercer."

"And you're trying to help her take him out?" she asked.

He was immediately shaking his head. "No! No! I only did it because I was afraid of her. I swear! Mercer was leaving me alone until now. Why would I want him dead?"

This time Nesta believed him, and she sheathed her dagger. So now, as far as she was concerned, the question was in reference to Karliah's motives. Did she really kill Gallus like Mercer claimed? And if so, was it a hatred toward the Guild that had her killing off their Guild Masters now that Mercer seemed to be in her sights as well? Or was this a grudge between her and Mercer because she, somehow, considered him responsible for her lover's death? Nesta didn't have enough information to come up with any answers yet.

"Do you know where I can find Karliah?" she asked. Honestly, she hoped to arrange a meeting with the woman before she spoke with Mercer again. Maybe if the grudge was against Mercer himself rather than the Guild or the position of Guild Master, they could work something out to the benefit of them both.

"I don't know," Gulum-Ei replied, and Nesta could tell he didn't. "I just know when she was leaving, I asked where she was going next, and she muttered something about where it all began." He reached into his pocket while still holding a hand up to show that he was still submissive to Nesta. "Here, take the deed to Goldenglow as proof. Karliah didn't actually want it, and I have no use for it." He handed the paper to Nesta, further proof that this woman was not out to make profit but simply be a thorn in Mercer's side. "For all I care, you can keep the bee farm for yourself. Consider it a gift to ensure your silence. That thing seems to be bringing me nothing but trouble anyway."

Nesta tucked the deed into her pocket. "I won't be telling Mercer about the little business you have running here," she promised. "I'm beginning to believe our Guild Master doesn't have the organization's best interests in heart. But perhaps, in the future, you and I could do some business together?"

This caused the Argonian to grin widely. "Now you're speaking my language," he stated, holding his hand out to shake Nesta's. "Consider me your new friend in the north."


	23. Mercer's Story

Chapter Four: Mercer's Story (Turdas/Fridas, 20th/21st of Sun's Dusk)

Business in Whiterun, Nesta had found upon her return, was going swimmingly. Her fellow thieves were doing so well, in fact, she already had a request to meet with an influential resident of the city arranged by Delvin to take place as soon as she had returned from Solitude.

She met with Olfrid Battle-Born, the patriarch of one of the city's most well-to-do families, at a tavern and hunting supply shop called The Drunken Huntsman one evening.

"I have a dear friend, Arn," the old man informed her. "We fought alongside one another in the Great War, and now, it seems, he's gotten himself into a bit of trouble in Solitude. He is wanted for murder and fled here. Unfortunately, upon his arrival, he got into a drunken brawl and is being held in the prison below Dragonsreach."

"I'm afraid the Guild doesn't do prison breaks," Nesta replied, not really sure where this conversation was going.

Olfrid smiled at her and passed her a piece of paper with a name written on it. "My job for you is to help me in securing Arn a new identity," he explained. "There are two objectives. First, change Arn's name in the prison log to the name I just gave you. I believe the log is kept in the steward's office within Dragonsreach. Second, obtain the piece of correspondence from the Jarl of Solitude that gives Arn's physical description and bring it to me. With that in my possession, and Arn listed under his alias in the log, he should be released in just a few days' time and pardoned for his drunkenness. If you do this for me, elf, I will swear the loyalty of Clan Battle-Born for the Guild and help you reestablish yourselves in Whiterun Hold."

All in all, it had been one of the easiest jobs Nesta had completed for the Guild thus far. There happened to be a public reception at Dragonsreach that night, and after flirting with a drunk noble who knew his way around the palace to gather information, it hadn't been at all difficult for Nesta to sneak into the private residence, alter the log, and steal the letter. She returned them to Olfrid and then left the city with a new hold in the Guild's belt.

* * *

Mercer had been beyond thrilled to see her return, obviously eager to find out what ever information Nesta had gotten from Gulum-Ei, and she was a bit uneasy meeting with him. She'd hoped to meet with Brynjolf first, but the Guild Master had cornered her in the Flagon.

"Did Gulum-Ei give up any information on our buyer?" he asked as he approached her at the bar. She could see Vex and Delvin watching the exchange closely, so she didn't feel entirely alone despite her lover's absence.

"Yes, apparently the buyer was some woman named Karliah," she replied, feigning ignorance as to who that was. She watched Mercer's face closely and caught the wrath that crossed it before he put on a mask of sadness and surprise.

"It can't be," he muttered. "I haven't heard that name in years. This is grave news indeed. She's someone I had hoped to never cross paths with again."

"Who is she?" Nesta asked. Brynjolf had entered the Flagon now and joined Delvin and Vex at the nearby table. They weren't close enough to hear what was being discussed, but they were close enough to intervene if Mercer treated her badly, not that he would probably dare to with all the eyes on him at the moment.

"Karliah destroyed everything this Guild stood for," Mercer replied. "She murdered my predecessor in cold blood and betrayed us all. After we discovered what she'd done, we spent months trying to track her down, but she just vanished."

"So why has she come back now, do you think?" Nesta asked.

"Karliah and I were like partners," Mercer answered. "I went with her on every heist. We watched each other's backs. I know her techniques, her skills. If she kills me, there will be no one left that could possibly catch her. If only I knew where she was now."

Nesta didn't want to tell him. She really didn't. But Gulum-Ei's statement about her cryptic destination wasn't something she would be able to figure out. Perhaps, if Mercer and Karliah had been as close as he claimed, he would have insight as to her location.

"Gulum-Ei said she said something about going back to where it all ended or where the end began, something like that," she told him.

"There's only one place that could be," Mercer replied with a smarmy grin. "The place where she murdered Gallus. It has to be. It's a ruin called Snow Veil Sanctum located to the north, just south of Winterhold on the coast. We need to go out there before she disappears again."

"I can check it out," Nesta offered.

"You will check it out," Mercer agreed, "but I'm going with you. Together, we're going to kill her. Prepare yourself. I have some of my own preparations to make. I will meet you at the inn in Winterhold at dusk on the first day of Evening Star. We'll strike out for the ruin together under the cover of darkness."

Well shit. That was not how she wanted that conversation to turn out. She nodded at Mercer, agreeing to his plans, and wandered toward the table where the Guild Thirds sat.

"Meet at my home at midnight," she whispered, leaning down. "Careful, Vex," she stated with a smirk, loud enough to make it look like she had gone over to the table to tease them. "Looks like Delvin's getting handsy."

Several around the tavern laughed aloud at that, and the old Breton blushed scarlet as he removed his arm from the back of the younger woman's chair.

The three nodded at Nesta to let them know they'd heard her previous statement and would see her soon.

* * *

Brynjolf was the last to arrive at Nesta's house for the meeting she had set up. Vex had arrived first under the guise of getting a drink at the inn, and Delvin had claimed to be meeting a contact outside the city walls. Brynjolf smirked when asked what his alibi had been and simply replied that he didn't really need an alibi considering the amount of time he spent at Nesta's home already.

The elf had relieved Iona of her duties for the night, and her housecarl had left the house. Nesta had no doubt the Nord suspected she was involved with the Guild but that didn't mean she needed to be present for a meeting discussing it.

"So what's going on, lass?" Brynjolf asked as the four sat at the table in Nesta's small kitchen. "What did you learn from Gulum-Ei and what did Mercer have to say?"

"Well, for starters, the mysterious buyer is Karliah."

This caused a shocked response from all present.

"It's clear, based upon my conversation Gulum-Ei, that her grudge is against Mercer," Nesta continued, "although Gulum-Ei seems to think, since he is under the belief that Karliah killed Gallus, that she has a vendetta against whoever the Guild Master happens to be."

"You don't believe she did?" Delvin asked.

Nesta shrugged. "I wasn't there, so I'm working with biased information. I do know that you all have never been entirely convinced that she was capable of murdering her lover, and I know that I don't trust Mercer as far as I can throw him. I know that he doesn't have the best interests of the Guild at heart, and I'm curious as to what Karliah's reasons for going after him are. She's only gone after the Guild in terms of our relationship with Maven, which is the most important thing to Mercer. She hasn't done anything to stop the progress of our work, and it makes me wonder what her side of the story is. I had hoped to try and set up a meeting with her before bringing this all to Mercer, but he cornered me, and I couldn't lie about it. I'm already keeping enough secrets from him for that lizard."

Brynjolf raised his eyebrows at that, but she simply shook her head. "We'll talk about that later. Based upon something Karliah said to Gulum-Ei, Mercer believes she's at Snow Veil Sanctum."

"That's where he claimed Karliah killed Gallus," Vex supplied.

Nesta nodded. "He wants to find her there, just the two of us. Wants me to meet him Winterhold on the First of Evening Star."

Brynjolf was immediately shaking his head. "I don't like this. Mercer has made it clear he doesn't like you, and if he's hiding something about what happened with Gallus, he could double-cross you while you're alone. It's too convenient that you're the one he wants going with him. No one else to speak against him if you don't come out of that ruin alive, just like before."

"Are you thinking that Mercer killed Gallus?" Delvin asked.

"I don't know," Brynjolf responded. "All I know is that when those three went into that ruin, Mercer and Karliah were friends, and Karliah and Gallus were more in love than any two people I've ever seen. Then Mercer comes back alone with a story that no one else is around to disagree with, and Karliah disappears. Now, years later, she's back with a grudge against Mercer. It doesn't add up. If she had really gotten away with murder, and Mercer had stopped looking for her, there's no reason now for her to act against him. Either what happened wasn't what Mercer claims happened, or he and Gallus were both up to something that Karliah disagreed with. I'd like to hear her side of the story as well, and I am not comfortable with you going into that ruin with him alone."

"I'll go," Vex offered.

"He won't allow it," Nesta argued. "He made it clear we're going alone, and if you push to go along, he'll know we're suspecting something. Right now, as far as he knows, everyone believes his story and doesn't suspect him of a thing. He's really a fucking idiot. The way he's been acting, it hasn't exactly kept him any friends amongst the Guild."

"He won't know I'm there," Vex promised. "I'll follow behind. He'll have no reason to believe you were followed, and I'll be close enough to hear what happens and intervene if necessary." She looked to the two men who didn't seem convinced with her plan. "Delvin, you rarely leave Riften anymore. It would raise too many questions if you left, and it would be suspicious if you go as well, Brynjolf. You're always left in charge when Mercer leaves, and the fact that he's going off with your girlfriend would have him watching for your reaction anyway. Besides, I'm way better at stealth and infiltration than the two of you are. I'll get it done."

Finally, they nodded in agreement, and a plan was developed. They couldn't meet with Karliah before Mercer did, but this way, Nesta would see how the two were when meeting, and she'd have back up.


	24. Winterhold

Chapter Six: Winterhold (Sundas, the 30th of Sun's Dusk)

Nesta had spent the last week of Sun's Dusk setting up plans for their work in Solitude. Although winter had already come to the northern mountains of Skyrim (did it ever really leave?), it would be a few weeks before Solitude, with its unique climate, and the south of Skyrim saw any snow, and they hoped to be done with the bulk of the legwork before the first flakes fell.

It would be a trickier city than the rest since the defenses were greater, considering it was the province's capital and stronghold of the Imperial forces in Skyrim, but they hoped, with the distraction of the civil war and the dragons, a streak of burglaries and petty theft wouldn't turn any heads.

She set out for Winterhold early, hoping to catch up with Mari, but was disappointed to discover her sister was away. According to the Breton wizard who came out when she'd asked at the bridge about her, she was on an important errand for the College and may not return for several days. The woman, Mirabelle Ervine, promised to tell Mari that she had called after her, and Nesta couldn't help but wonder if this had something to do with the discovery she'd told her about when they'd met up in Markarth.

Her time was spent lounging about the inn and conversing with the locals. One of them, a drunk, told her a sob story about his wife running off with a man from the Guild, but considering the man's name was Vex, Nesta gathered there was a bit more to the story than he knew and intended to ask her friend about it.

As Evening Star approached, she grew restless and couldn't stop herself from worrying about what would happen in Snow Veil Sanctum and whether or not Mercer's story could be trusted.

She met with Vex behind the local trader the evening before she was set to meet Mercer at the inn.

"Do you think she did it?" Nesta asked.

Vex shook her head. "I hadn't been in the Guild long when this all happened," she replied, "but I was there long enough to see the love between Gallus and Karliah. It was true. Something happened in that ruin, something that only Mercer and Karliah know about, that resulted in Gallus' death, but I don't believe, for a moment, that Karliah was responsible. She's a thief, yes, a damn good one, but she's a damn good woman as well. She was a friend to me when I joined the Guild, a mentor. I learned a lot from her, and she adored Gallus. I don't know what happened in that ruin, but I sure as hell plan to find out."

Nesta nodded, and Vex must have been able to sense her nerves.

"It will be all right, Nes," she promised, wrapping an arm around the taller woman's shoulder. "I'll have your back, and we'll figure out what is going on."

 **Author's Note: That is the conclusion of this portion of Nesta's story. If you haven't already read them, Aerenwen and Mari's stories have been updated to the end of Sun's Dusk as well. Next up will be Elain. Watch for updates to her story beginning next week.**


End file.
